Out
by Wolf Beil
Summary: Watanuki is walking to school one day and he finds something powerful enough to destroy him. Seeing spirits isn't even going to register as a problem after this.
1. Of Luck

A/N- Well, here I go. Second story, first multichap fic. This story takes place sometime before the end, but sometime after the eye and Himawari arcs. Watanuki is hard to write, as he is so spastic, but I'll do my best. You'll see why later in the story, but these people are going to get very OOC. So don't get angry at me.

Summary- Watanuki is walking to school one day and he finds something powerful, but an accident happens. Pretty soon, seeing spirits won't be his biggest problem anymore.

Disclaimer- I don't own it. Clamp does. They've done a brilliant job with it too. Wouldn't change a thing.

Pairings- Watanuki/Domeki

Warnings- mild coarse language, possible m/m relations

"normal" means talking

'_italics' _means thoughts

CAPS means emphasis, got it memorized?

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Chapter 1- Of Luck

It was a normal day at school. The sun was bright, people were chatting and going to class as normal. And yet, Watanuki felt as if something was amiss. He looked frantically around to find a possible reason for this feeling. He found nothing.

'_wait… nothing?',_ Watanuki thought with a frown.

It suddenly hit him. Spirits. There weren't any. He usually saw a few floating around the school. Nothing dangerous, but always on his radar just in case. Ironically the thing that was wrong with this supposedly normal day is that it wasn't strange enough. Despite being somewhat happy at the spirits' absence, he found it unsettling that none were to be found. Watanuki briefly wondered why he couldn't just take it as a blessing. Watanuki's thought process stopped when he saw Himawari some distance away.

He opened his mouth to call out to her, but never got the chance. The earth below him suddenly opened up. Watanuki started to fall, too surprised to even cry out. All he saw before he fell was Himawari's face changing from happiness at seeing Watanuki to fear as she saw him begin to fall. Watanuki fell for sometime longer than what he felt was a survivable fall.

Watanuki hit the ground hard, but he was miraculously uninjured. He immediately looked up to see if anyone had gathered around the giant hole that had appeared in the earth, but it was gone and all he saw above him was darkness. In fact, ALL he saw was darkness. It seemed that the place he was in had no light source. He suddenly sensed movement to his right. It felt somewhat similar to a spirit, but much bigger than what he was used to. Watanuki turned and opened his mouth to say something, probably a nervous 'hello?', but no sound came out. His voice was paralyzed!

At this point Watanuki started to panic. He was trapped inside a pitch black place with no way out, no voice, and a giant something or other stalking him in the darkness! He was most definitely starting to freak out.

'_what am I going to do? What the hell is up with this place!?',_ Watanuki thought with dismay. Even as he thought this, the situation was taking a turn for the worse. The big something out in the darkness began to come straight towards him.

Watanuki, fearing for his life, began running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Despite his rather impressive running speed, Watanuki could sense that he was being outpaced by whatever was chasing him. He felt a moment of pure terror when he stumbled to the ground. Certain that this would be the end of his life, Watanuki opened his mouth and let out a silent scream.

Suddenly Watanuki's eyes were assaulted with a bright light that seemed to emanate from behind him. The light overtook the darkness and it was forced to retreat. When the darkness could no longer be seen Watanuki looked around to see a now purely white room.

'_Great. This is soooo much better than before', _Watanuki thought sarcastically.

He turned to look towards where the light had originally come from and saw a rather tall and muscular person holding a bow. He was in the classic archery stance. "Domeki!", Watanuki shouted, reaching his hand towards his throat in surprise at suddenly regaining his voice.

Watanuki wasted no time and immediately began questioning Domeki, "What is this place? What are you doing here? Do you know what that thing chasing me was? How did you make that light appear, anyway?"

Domeki turned to Watanuki and simply said, "I don't know. You tell me. It's YOUR dream after all."

It took a moment to process, but as soon as he realized what Domeki had said Watanuki began to smile. It was an absolutely absurd notion. There was no way he was dreaming about Domeki, of all people. Domeki gave him a questioning look, perhaps wondering if he was all right. On the verge of laughter, Watanuki began to explain, "I am NOT drea-"

His words were cut off when he felt a tugging. It was strange, but not a very strong tug, so at first he attempted to ignore it. This became impossible when the tug became strong enough to actually lift him off the ground. He started flailing wildly, but it had no visible effect on his upward ascent. If anything, he was moving a bit faster now.

"Domeki, you idiot! What are you doing!? Help me!", Watanuki screamed with some fear, but mostly anger at Domeki's failure to provide assistance.

Domeki simply shrugged and said, "I can't stop you from waking up."

That really set Watanuki off, "As I tried to say earlier- I am NOT dreaming!"

"See you at school", Domeki monotoned, completely ignoring Watanuki's angry flailing and shouting. He even had to audacity to sit down and give a slight wave goodbye as Watanuki fought to escape the force tugging him upward.

Watanuki woke with a start. He was in his apartment. His small, lonely, quiet apartment. Watanuki let out a huge breath of air that had signs of both relief and irritation. He was relieved that it had all been a dream. He was irritated because Domeki had been right. He HAD been dreaming. Come to think of it, Domeki had said something just before he had woken up, _'see you at school, or something like that.'_

That meant it had been the real Domeki, not a figment of his subconscious. Watanuki wasn't sure which he would have preferred.

'_Well, it was a weird dream, but if he doesn't bring it up then I'd rather not talk about it,'_ Watanuki decided.

Flopping back onto his bed, Watanuki began to fall back asleep in the quiet of his apartment. He closed his eyes for about a minute or so, and then abruptly opened them. He hadn't been woken up by his alarm clock! He glanced over towards his clock and realized if he didn't book it he'd be late for school. Getting dressed in record time and gathering only what he absolutely needed, Watanuki was out the door in two minutes.

He burst out of his apartment at top speed. He began to run his normal route to school. As he ran his mind began to wander. His thoughts slipped for a second time to his rather unusual dream. It again brought mixed feelings. His dream had included a happy and concerned-for-him Himawari, but it had also contained Domeki. He supposed it evened out to neutral. He'd spend an infinite amount of absolutely aggravating time with Domeki if it meant he could spend an infinite amount of time with the absolutely perfect Himawari.

Smiling briefly at these thoughts Watanuki began to run across a side street when he felt something. It similar to a spirit, but different also. It was more primal, and it appeared to lack the emotion that a spirit usually had. He screeched to a halt.

"What the hell is this feeling?" Watanuki said to himself even as he began to inch closer to the source of it. He had almost reached the bush he suspected it was behind when he felt a chill hit his spine. He immediately looked up and saw an amorphous blob of a spirit with sharp teeth arranged into a menacing smile.

It suddenly formed a hand gave Watanuki a push. Watanuki staggered and took a few steps back, but became rather confused, _'that was nowhere near the spirit's full strength. What gives?'_

"Watanuki!", a voice called out.

Watanuki began to turn towards the voice, but before he got there he saw a car coming straight at him. The driver was apparently not paying attention, and Watanuki had no time to react except to raise his arms defensively in front of him.

He was sent flying. He expected pain, and there was some, but nowhere near what he had expected. Watanuki opened the eyes he wasn't aware he had closed and found himself staring straight into the eyes of none other than Domeki. That damn spirit had pushed him into the street, hoping he'd be hit by a car! Apparently the voice had been Domeki, and just before he had been hit Domeki managed to tackle him out of the way.

"Are you alright?" Domeki asked without getting off him, as the car sped away, not wanting to deal with the fallout of almost hitting someone.

Watanuki turned an amusing shade of red before starting in with his trademark shouting, "I'm fine you big oaf! Now get off me before your massive weight cuts off my airflow!"

He then proceeded to push and shove Domeki to get off him. The weak shoves of Watanuki appeared to have no effect, but he did start to stand up.

"That spirit was there the whole time. Usually you would notice and avoid, or at least outrun, a spirit like that. What happened?"

In response to Domeki's question Watanuki began to walk over to the strange something that had distracted him, "I was distracted by a weird power behind this bush. It's not like anything I've felt before. Can you feel it too?"

Domeki closed his eyes for a moment, "yeah, but only if I concentrate."

Watanuki's eyes widened slightly at that revelation. _'If I can sense it easily and Domeki has to concentrate, then it definitely isn't a spirit. After all, he got his spirit seeing abilities from me.'_

He reached around the bush and searched for the mysterious power. Grasping on to something he brought his hand back toward him. It was a feather. A pink and white feather with strange markings. It had a warm feeling to it, and it appeared to glow. It was like nothing Watanuki had ever seen, and he'd seen a lot.

"Is that it?", Domeki asked, obviously curious.

Watanuki nodded, "It feels so different from anything I've felt before. Whatever it is, I get the feeling that it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, or even if we left it on it's own…"

"Well if you go back to the shop and show Yuko then I'm sure she could do something with it," Domeki reasoned.

"I would do that, but I don't think it poses an immediate threat and I have to get to school," Watanuki said.

The mention of school suddenly snapped Watanuki out of his stupor.

"Oh my god! SCHOOL!"

Watanuki put the feather in his back pocket, grabbed Domeki by the wrist and resumed his original goal of sprinting all the way too school. If Domeki had been even slightly less athletic he would have had a difficult time keeping up with Watanuki's punishing pace. As it was he simply let himself be dragged along.

The two of them reached the school building. Watanuki breathing as if he were dying, and Domeki exhibiting his usual stoicism. Domeki noticed Watanuki was still holding his wrist and began to shake it a little to make him let go.

"What do you want!? …oh.". Watanuki said, immediately letting go of Domeki's hand and blushing slightly.

The two of them both barely made it to their respective classes before the bell rang. After running for so long and so quickly, Watanuki was understandably out of breath. This caused many people in class to stare at him, which he felt an immediate sense of irritation.

'_What, a guy can't show up for class barely on time, sweating and panting?'_

He put it out of his mind. Despite the impression he gave off, Watanuki was a rather good student. It always irked him that no matter how hard he tried he never got as good grades as Domeki, but still A's and B's were the norm for him.

He was taking diligent notes in the stale air of the classroom, when he suddenly felt something. The feather pulsed. Watanuki almost had a heart attack, fortunately he didn't but he did fall out of his desk.

"Mr. Watanuki! I will thank you to please remain upright in your seat!", scolded the irate teacher.

Watanuki gave him an apologetic look and slunk back into the seat, feeling the laughing gazes of most people in the classroom. _'What the hell was that?'_

The feather pulsed again, and this time the feeling was much stronger. Watanuki was less surprised this time and managed to actually form a theory as to what the pulsing was. Each pulse had been accompanied with a feeling of warmth, so Watanuki supposed that the feather was sending out waves of pure energy.

The feather pulsed for a third time, and this time several students took a wary look around, perhaps sensing something was different. Watanuki could deal with students glancing at him from time to time, but what he couldn't ignore was the increased spiritual activity. The feather's power had apparently drawn a lot of spirits to the room.

Watanuki sat uncomfortably for the rest of the class. He tried to take notes, but the few students who were a bit more sensitive to the spirit world would give him a look every time the feather sent out a wave of energy, the spirits stared at him the whole time, and on top of that the energy the feather sent out made him feel hot!

When the bell rang Watanuki tore out of the classroom like he was on fire. Moving, however, did not fix the problem. At each of his next classrooms the process would repeat itself. He would sit down and attempt to take notes, and would just be settling into it when the feather would pulse. This would draw him stares from both the living and the dead, all the while making him unpleasantly warm.

He could have jumped for joy when the bell for lunch rang. He didn't jump, but instead ran as fast as he could to the designated meeting spot on the stairs. Watanuki figured Domeki could at least keep the spirits from staring at him. That's all he was good for anyway.

Watanuki was setting up for lunch when his ears were greeted by the wondrous tinkle of Himawari's voice, "Hello Watanuki! Hasn't Domeki arrived yet?"

The stress of the day totally faded upon hearing her voice.

"H- Himawari! How are you today? That idiot isn't here yet!"

"Who's an idiot?", a bored sounding voice broke into their conversation. It was, of course, Domeki.

"YOU are the idiot! I've never met anyone as stupid as you!", Watanuki ranted at a decibel usually reserved for rock concerts.

"At least I know how to pay attention to my surroundings," Domeki countered, clearly referring to the events preceding finding the feather. He began to eat what Watanuki had prepared.

"Oh my! Did something happen earlier?", Himawari asked, concern showing on her face, as she too began to eat their lunch.

To soothe her concerns Watanuki began to explain what had happened on his way to school. Feeling embarrassed, he left out the part about the dream that made him late in the first place. He also left out the part about being saved by Domeki and proceeded to explain about the feather and the trouble it had been causing him so far today.

Himawari laughed, but then looked confused, " But wait, how did you dodge that car? You didn't really mention you dodging it or the car swerving or anything, really."

Watanuki was about to start dodging the question, but Domeki butted in and explained his part in the story. This made Watanuki extremely angry and he was about to start telling him off, but Himawari interrupted before he had a chance.

"It seems that you two are as close as ever!"

This, as per the usual, sent Watanuki into absolute hysterics. He fervently denied having any relationship with Domeki other than a mutual dislike and rivalry. He did this while grabbing his head and flailing wildly about. Unbeknownst to him, the feather had dropped out of his back pocket.

"Oh, is this the feather you were talking about, Watanuki?", Himawari asked as she bent over to pick it up.

"Yes it is. Tha--"

His words were cut off, for the moment Himawari laid her hands on the feather he got one of the worst feelings he had ever felt. The feather erupted into an incredibly bright light and the pulsing Watanuki had felt became so powerful and frequent he felt as if he might be keel over.

The feather began to develop big fissures in its structure. It looked like the feather had white veins criss-crossing its surface.

"What's happening!?" Himawari cried out in fear.

"It looks like the feather is breaking apart!", Domeki supplied. Indeed, the white lines were now separating, leaving open space between them. The power Watanuki felt surged and he suddenly felt ill. He glanced at Domeki, and he also appeared to be feeling the effects.

Suddenly, the feather shattered into pieces. A number of shards flew off to who knows where, but three remained behind. Watanuki watched as a shard slowly approached each of them. He wanted to run, but was powerless to do so. The piece of the feather entered his body and he collapsed to the ground.

He glanced around, surveying the damage. Both Himawari and Domeki were on the ground as well, having felt the effects of their own shards enter them. The building seemed to be unharmed, and no one appeared to have heard the commotion.

'_Well, gotta count your blessings, I guess', _Watanuki reflected with a grimace on his face.

The eyes of the three friends met and each thought the exact same thing. They said it in a different tone of voice but each said it at the same time.

"This can't be good."

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A/N- Good? Not good? Drop a review to let me know! The feather was one of Sakura's, but I'm sure you guessed that. Oh, and the reason that it shattered was because of Himawari's condition. I hope that was clear. I'll have the next chapter up in awhile, maybe less than a week?


	2. In The Open

A/N- Another chapter for you! This one was harder to write because I didn't have it planned out ahead like I did the first chapter… Thank you everyone who faved/reviewed/alerted! I responded to reviews at the end of the chapter. I hope this chapter is up to everyone's standards.

Disclaimer- Property of the ladies at Clamp

Pairings- Watanuki/Domeki

Warnings- same as before

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Chapter 2- In The Open

Watanuki felt perfectly calm after echoing the sentiments of his classmates just moments ago. He felt calm as he began to pick himself up off the ground. He also felt calm when he drew himself up to his full height. Himawari and Domeki stood up as well, sharing a worried glance at Watanuki's lack of reaction to the situation.

"Ok, nobody panic. NOBODY PANIC.", Watanuki said in a strained voice. He was clearly speaking to himself, trying to get a grip without completely freaking out. If the situation weren't so dire Himawari and Domeki might have had small grins on their faces. As it was, their faces remained stony masks.

"What just happened here?", Himawari asked with more curiosity than concern.

Watanuki opened his mouth to explain, but couldn't come up with a logical explanation to share with the group.

Domeki decided to take a stab at deciphering what happened, "Himawari touched the feather", at this, Himawari's face fell, as she realized her condition was to blame, "it split into multiple fragments. Three of which embedded themselves in the three of us. The others flew off to who knows where."

'_Damned smug jerk, we already KNEW THAT!', _Watanuki thought with ferocity. However, the rather dry, textbook summing up of what happened did help to calm him down somewhat. Sure fragments of a feather of unknown origin and power did go inside of them, but nothing bad had happened. At least not yet. If they got the pieces removed quickly maybe nothing bad would happen.

"Yuko", Watanuki said suddenly, drawing the stares of the other two, "I should go to Yuko's place and ask her to remove them!"

Domeki thought that was a prudent plan, but made an addition, "I'm going too."

"Me too!", Himawari broke in before Watanuki had a chance to reject Domeki's joining him.

"What? No. I'm going to go alone, it's safest for everyone that way."

"You'll get hounded by spirits. Especially if the feather's power attracts them like you said." Domeki said in a voice that brooked no argument.

Watanuki was having none of that, though, "It's only a little piece. There shouldn't be many more than normal."

"We all have a feather piece inside of us. We should all get them removed as soon as possible, before any effects show up.", Himawari declared. It was a pretty good point, even Watanuki had to admit that.

The argument went back and forth for some time like that before an agreement was reached.

It was decided that Watanuki and Domeki would travel to Yuko's and leave Himawari to finish school. The two males were the fastest and most used to adversities trying to get in their way. Himawari still wanted to go, but Watanuki looked at her with his kindest and sorriest look and said, "You'll be safer if you stay."

After that, she grudgingly backed down, with a two way promise to call if anything started happening that seemed like a symptom of the feather. They agreed to meet up at a café at eight o'clock to exchange information and form a plan of action, should one be required.

With barely a wave goodbye, the boys were rushing to get to Yuko's. They didn't know when or if the feather's effects would take place, and they had no intention of finding out.

It took them some time to arrive at the store. This was because of two reasons. One was that, although their pace was hurried, it was by no means a sprint. The other was that they decided to avoid instead of outrun or try to slip by spirits. It meant taking back routes and hopping fences, and ultimately a great deal of time, but there was no telling how long being dragged into a spirit's world would delay them and neither Watanuki nor Domeki wanted to risk it.

They arrived at the store, kicked off their shoes at the entryway, and hustled to the area where Yuko generally discussed matters with customers to find that there was a table set for three people and a Mokona.

Apparently their visit had been expected for some time.

"Watanuki! How good of you to show up!", Yuko greeted in voice that clearly indicated that she had been waiting for them, "Be a good boy and make some snacks for us, I left out supplies in the kitchen."

Watanuki opened his mouth to argue that this wasn't a good time to be fixing snacks, but thought better of it. After all if Yuko thought they had time then they almost certainly did. He left for the kitchen and made a simple dish with minimal problems. Upon his return Domeki and Yuko finished up their conversation and turned to look at him.

"Domeki here has just filled me in on what happened. Much of which I'd already surmised on my own.", Yuko said with an air of superiority.

"You knew what happened!?", Watanuki exclaimed in surprise, "Just how did you know that."

"Because that event was inevitable and it's always possible to predict an inevitable event." Yuko explained, "Well, that and the fact that a shard of the feather entered me just an hour or so ago."

"WHAT!? Why didn't you tell us that in the first place!? We could've had them removed already!", Watanuki shrieked, absolutely furious.

"Idiot.", Domeki droned, "If you'd stop shouting and start listening you'd hear the reason."

Shocked at this statement, Watanuki was unable to recover and start shouting before Yuko confirmed Domeki's statement, "He's right, Watanuki."

Watanuki's eye twitched involuntarily, but he took a deep breath of air to calm himself down, "Well, if there's a reason why we can't remove the fragments of that feather then I want to hear it."

"But of course!", Yuko agreed in a gracious tone, "The reason is that the feathers are bonded to us. The connection is deep, very deep. Without something else for them to bond to it would require a great deal of power on my part and a great deal of risk on everyone's parts."

Domeki took a moment to ask a question, "What is the something else that we will need the feathers to bond to?"

"Ah, good question Domeki!", Yuko said with a tone of pride in her voice, "Fortunately the feather shards are more strongly connected to each other than to any one person. Unfortunately, the attractive force of just a few shards is too weak to have an effect on the one buried deep inside of you. We'd need to assemble the entire feather in one place."

"What if worst comes to worst and we can't find all of the fragments. Would you still be able to remove them if necessary?", Domeki questioned.

Yuko turned towards him with a smile, "Well I suppose I could, but it would still risk damage to your souls, and the feather would be even less stable than it is right now. There's no telling what kind of damage it could cause."

"What if the effects of the feather are really bad, though?", Watanuki asked with a worried look on his face. It quickly turned to curiosity as he asked yet another question, "Wait. Do you know what effects the feather will have on us?"

Yuko looked off into the distance and answered, "No. I've no idea what the effects will be. The feather is unpredictable. I would, however, wager that they will be negative."

Seeing questioning looks from both boys she began to elaborate, "The feather is a piece of a memory. Princess Sakura's memory to be precise. Crystallized shards of memory are incredibly potent. One could almost call them a form of pure energy. This energy is specific for each person, and thus incompatible with your own energy."

"Ok, so there's two different types of energy inside of us right now. Why does that mean that bad things are likely to occur?", Watanuki inquired.

"Were you even listening!? Humans aren't meant to have two different types of energy! The two are battling for dominance within you right now. Because Sakura's has been fractured yours will win, but it will attempt to expel the other energy. This most likely have undesired effects on your body or emotional state." Yuko explained with a note of exasperation.

At this point both Domeki and Watanuki started to ask a question, but Domeki got his out first.

"What kind of effects can we expect?"

'_Figures we'd have the same question and HE got to ask it first, as if he's the only smart one', _Watanuki fumed internally.

"Hard to say really. We might suddenly grow much taller or gain weight. Perhaps our shoe size will increase, or maybe the overflow of energy will make us even more attractive to spirits than we already are. We might even develop psychic abilities." Yuko said with a smile.

Watanuki was shocked_, 'Why the HELL are you smiling you freak!? This is the absolute worst thing ever!'_

He settled for shouting something else instead, "We have to get these thing removed or our lives are over! How are we gonna know how many pieces to find or how to find them at all!?"

"Watanuki, calm down", Yuko commanded in a serious voice, "I know the answers to both of your questions. Having felt the power of a feather before, I'd say each of our fragments are at about one seventh of their full power. That means you're searching for the three that remain."

"That's all well and good, but they could be halfway across the world by now!", Watanuki screamed again.

"They should be in the general vicinity. The pieces want to be whole again so they shouldn't have left the city, at least. As for how to find them well, you already know the answer to that, don't you?", Yuko said, smiling again.

Watanuki raised his eyebrows, surprised and confused, _'What does she mean "I already know the answer", I have no idea what she's talking about!'_

Domeki let out an exasperated sigh, "Are you stupid or something? Close your eyes and concentrate."

"I'm not stupid you idiot!", Watanuki shouted, even as he began to close his eyes.

At first he didn't feel anything at all. He had his eyes closed for so long that he began to suspect that Domeki was playing a joke on him, even though Domeki never did anything remotely funny. Just as he was about to open his eyes and shout at him for this idiotic exercise, he felt something. No, scratch that. Three somethings. They felt warm and powerful, not quite as warm and powerful as the feather but…

'_Oh! I can sense the shards of the feather. I didn't notice that before.'_

Domeki gave him an approving look, "I sensed it when we were on our way here, but didn't sense Yuko's until we were about a block away."

"So the feathers give off a one block power radius, how do we find them if there only detectable within a block?", Watanuki asked.

"Isn't it obvious Watanuki? You and Domeki will comb the city looking for the other shards. Hopefully you'll be able to find them before an adverse side effects appear.", Yuko said with her biggest smile yet.

"No way am I going with that big lump of flesh! I can do it by myself!"

"You can't", said Domeki, with no tonal inflection.

Watanuki began to shout and rave and utter profanities on such a high decibel level that Domeki had to plug up both of his ears. And even then it was still coming through. Watanuki continued to shout, but was soon ushered out of the house by Yuko, who claimed she was too tired to moderate a dispute between the two.

Domeki stood outside the shop for a moment and blinked at their rather sudden departure. In that moment Watanuki had taken off on his own. Domeki realized this quickly, and immediately caught up with him, keeping pace with his rather brisk walk.

"Where are we going?", Domeki asked, wishing to know their destination so he could approve or disapprove of it.

"WE are not going anywhere, because WE are not together. I'm heading for the center of town because it's the most heavily trafficked area around, and it's where I'm most likely to encounter a feather. YOU, on the other hand, are heading home and are going to wait for me to call you when I have everyone assembled.", Watanuki explained as if he were talking to a child.

Domeki shook his head in the negative and continued to follow him. He had to admit that hanging out in the center of town was probably their best bet, but thought that going it alone was dangerous. The feather's effects could manifest themselves at any time, not to mention Watanuki's usual problem of attracting spirits.

Watanuki spared Domeki another glance and huffed angrily, "I don't need you following me around! I can do this without you!"

Domeki disagreed, and he thought that Watanuki seemed to be fighting especially hard to get rid of him. By this point, he'd usually given up and seen reason, or just plain given up in the face of Domeki's stubbornness. What was making Watanuki so unreasonable?

They continued at the same pace toward the busiest part of town. All the while, Watanuki kept up his aura of displeasure at Domeki accompanying him. While waiting for the light to change at a crosswalk Watanuki spied something that caught his interest. It was a butterfly, and it was in the middle of the street.

"Hey Domeki, look over there!", exclaimed Watanuki, completely forgetting about any previous.

Domeki gave him a strange look, "It's a butterfly. So what?"

Watanuki gave an exasperated sigh, "Don't you see? It's probably a message from Yuko. Maybe she has good news for us!"

Domeki raised an eyebrow at that. He thought it was pretty unlikely that Yuko had left them a message in the middle of the street. She probably would have just sent a message in her normal, magical fashion. And IF for some reason she sent a regular butterfly there was no way she'd make it hang out in the middle of the street, even as a joke.

Nope. It was probably just a regular butterfly. There was no use explaining that to Watanuki, though, as he was walking directly into traffic without even glancing at it to make sure it was safe.

"Watanuki! What the hell are you doing!?"

Watanuki slowed his stride in the middle of the street and turned to look at Domeki in confusion. He continued to walk towards the butterfly, but without even looking where he was going. Domeki felt his heart throb in panic. That idiot was going to get himself killed! Watanuki grabbed the butterfly and made his way back towards Domeki.

This time he was almost hit by several cars, but didn't even look at them as he returned to where Domeki was anxiously waiting. Watanuki was looking at the butterfly with disappointment. Apparently the butterfly didn't have a message attached, _'Damn. I was so sure that it was a message from Yuko.'_

Domeki waited approximately one second after Watanuki's return before drawing him into a tight hug. He didn't think he'd ever been so scared in his life.

"D-Domeki!? What are you-"

Domeki didn't release him and instead began to speak in a tone that Watanuki had never heard him speak in before, _'It sounds like… concern?'_

"Shut up. I thought you were going to die. Why did you go into traffic like that? You didn't even check if it was clear! I know you've been foolish in the past, but never this idiotic!"

To Watanuki's chagrin Domeki still hadn't let go, but he pondered the words anyway, _'Why did I walk directly into traffic? At the time I felt sure that I wouldn't be hit. I felt untouchable… Even though I realize now how stupid I was being.'_

Watanuki realized what he had to do. Domeki had been truly afraid for him and he couldn't just brush that aside. He knew he would regret what he was going to say but, "I'm sorry for scaring you, Domeki. I don't know what came over me."

Because of the position of their hug, Watanuki couldn't see it, but Domeki's eyebrows rose in surprise and he had a bit of an endeared smile on his face. Domeki suddenly shook his head and put his stoic mask back on.

"Ok I've waited long enough!", Watanuki shouted suddenly, "Quit hugging me you oaf! Don't think that just because you were worried about me that means you can grab onto me for however long you want!"

Domeki hadn't even realized that they were still hugging, but let go of him all the same.

"Now, c'mon let's go! We still have a lot of time to search before we meet Himawari at that café!" Watanuki exclaimed, eager to get this whole affair over with, "The busiest part of town in pretty large so we have our work cut out for us!"

Domeki grunted in agreement. Neither of them thought that the issue would be resolved today, but maybe they could find one more piece of the feather and convince the person it was inside to go to Yuko's.

Even with all the information out in the open, there was no way this was going to be easy. No matter how either looked at the situation, it looked as if this wasn't going to be resolved as quickly as they hoped.

* * *

A/N- sorry if it was boring! This chapter was mostly explanation and set up for other chapters, but careful readers will note the effects of the feather beginning to take place already. Did the explanations of everything make sense? Let me know if something was confusing.

And now, I answer reviews!

EchizenRyomaLover- Thank you! We still haven't gotten to the real meat of the story yet, but I hope this chapter was a good lead in for it!

asagohan-no-bento- Ha ha, you made me blush a little! As you guessed, it was indeed one of Sakura's feathers. At this point, I have no plans to include the Tsubasa gang (Even though I love Fai to death). I'll not rule it out, though. They may make a "guest appearance" of sorts… but don't count on it.


	3. On The Town

A/N- Yeah, it's been awhile, so sue me. Seriously though, I have a pretty good reason for taking so long! I had finals and they took up all of my time, so sorry if you waited for a long time! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer- Not mine

Pairings- Dou/Wata

Warnings- same as before

* * *

Chapter 3- On the Town

The area that had been dubbed "the busiest part of town" used as much space as about six blocks, not to mention other only slightly less busy areas that were nearby. Watanuki wanted to find the pieces of the feather as soon as possible so he decided it would be a good idea to sprint back and forth across these areas so as not to miss the feather if it came near.

Domeki had no opinion on the matter so this was the plan they went with. He made sure to stay near Watanuki and make sure he wouldn't go running into traffic again. If Watanuki noticed, he made no comment. For this, Domeki was glad. Arguing with Watanuki was tiring, to say the least.

Unfortunately, after about an hour running all over the crowded places of the town without a break, Watanuki's strength began to flag. Domeki seemed, of course, to be completely unaffected.

'_I bet he's just hiding how tired he is! Heh, he thinks he's so great, does he? I'll show that idiot! We aren't taking a break until he asks for one!", _Watanuki planned, even as he began to feel faint.

They were just about to turn a corner when Watanuki shouted "C'mon let's pick up the pace!" and dashed around it without Domeki. Domeki, who was surprised that Watanuki suddenly wanted to sprint instead of continuing the jog they'd settled in to, began to increase his speed.

He barely had time to round the corner before Watanuki, running as if he were on fire, grabbed his arm and ran back the way they had come. Domeki began to ask what was the matter, but didn't need to.

"Spirit! A mean one! Just keep running, don't look back!", Watanuki shouted between breaths. Both of the boys felt it. The oppressive presence of a spirit on their tail. Despite their impressive speed, it was gaining on them.

"Watanuki", Domeki said, hoping that Watanuki got his meaning from just that. The way things were going, facing the spirit and trying to calm it down might be their best bet.

"I know. When there are no people.", agreed Watanuki. He felt the spirit gaining on them too, but he didn't want to face it with people around. Worst case scenario, they'd get hurt. Best case scenario, they'd think the two boys had gone insane.

Domeki saw an alleyway and yanked Watanuki inside it. They immediately whirled around to face the spirit that had chased them. Domeki stepped in front of Watanuki protectively, who was too frightened to protest the display.

"I've finally caught up with you!"

It was the spirit. It seemed to be a young girl, younger than the two boys by about a couple of years. She was dressed in shorts and a simple tank top. She was smiling and not looking very threatening at all.

"You two are quick! Probably the fastest people I've ever chased!", she said without a hint of malice.

Watanuki was dumbfounded, he'd thought for sure that she was trying to hurt him, _'Well, she's not attacking us, so that's a good sign, but I wonder why she chased us?'_

"What do you want from us?," Domeki asked, having similar thoughts to Watanuki's.

The girl spirit smiled, "I have information for you! It's about the weird energy inside the two of you. I may have found out something important that could effect your search!"

Well, that in and of itself raised a few questions. Like how did she even know that they were looking for something in the first place? But before Watanuki could ask anything Domeki butted in.

"Before you tell us anything I have something to say," Domeki stated, turning towards Watanuki, "How did you mistake her for an evil spirit?"

Watanuki looked confused and then frowned. He'd been so full of adrenalin and relief at not being chased, the he had forgotten why he had been running in the first place. He suddenly remembered.

"W-well, I was running along, trying to find a feather fragment when I saw a spirit some distance off. Too far away to tell what kind it was. It shouted 'hey you!' and flew at me at top speed. Startled, I assumed it was evil and ran away.", Watanuki explained sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm sorry for startling you, but now that we've cleared up any misunderstandings I can give you my info!" The spirit exclaimed in a bubbly voice.

Domeki sighed but paid attention. He had little or no desire to get roped into a conversation with this girl, she was far too ditzy for his tastes. He preferred it when it was just him and Watanuki. On the other hand, she might prove useful. Both the spirit and Watanuki ignored the now silent Domeki.

Watanuki smiled right back, "Well, I hope you have good information for us, cause I don't want to start experiencing the side effects Yuko was talking about."

"Yes, well, it's two things, really. The first is that I found one of the people that you are looking for!", She said with glee.

Watanuki's face lit up, "Really!? That's great! Isn't that fantastic Domeki!?"

Domeki looked up, surprised at Watanuki's outburst. He rolled his eyes and said nothing. When Watanuki had turned back to the girl-spirit, he smiled a little. Realizing this, he then frowned a bit.

Watanuki continued talking with barely a pause, "What can you tell me about this person? Can you tell me where they live?"

The spirit's smile grew wider and said, "I suppose I could, but it probably won't be necessary."

"Why not?", A comment coming from Domeki for the first time in awhile.

"Because you might already know her. She's a little girl with light hair and fair skin. And…", The spirit paused, seemingly for no other reason than for dramatic effect, "she could see me!"

Both Watanuki and Domeki thought about it for a moment, wondering who this little girl could be, before reaching the same conclusion at the same moment.

"Kohane!" Watanuki shouted, while Domeki said the same thing under his breath.

Watanuki smiled and began dancing around in his usual fashion, but abruptly stopped when he realized something troubling.

'_That means Kohane got hit with a feather fragment and could be hurt because of it. I have to save her!'_

"We."

Watanuki looked over towards Domeki, "Excuse me?"

Domeki smirked with just a tiny bit of arrogance, and answered, "You think I don't know what you're thinking? It's obvious. YOU don't have to save her. WE have to save her."

Watanuki turned a deep red, though it was difficult to distinguish whether it was he was embarrassed that Domeki knew what he was thinking or because he was angry that Domeki wouldn't let him do it on his own. It was probably both.

Much to the irritation of Watanuki, the spirit started giggling and said, "You two sure are close!"

'_Why doesn't anyone get that I hate this jerk!?', _Watanuki screamed internally.

Still laughing a bit the spirit resumed their conversation, "We seem to have gotten a bit off track. I still have one other thing to tell you. It is also has to do with a feather fragment, but is a bit more troubling. I happened to be by Yuko's place when the feather originally broke, and I felt two of them head straight towards her shop. As you know, one of them went into Yuko, but the other disappeared!"

Watanuki was speechless. The spirit knew Yuko, which couldn't be a coincidence. He decided to ask about that later, for now he would concentrate on the feather.

"Okay, so you lost it. What's the big deal?"

The spirit shook her head, "You aren't listening. The feather piece didn't leave the area where I SHOULD have been able to detect it. The energy simply vanished. I have no idea what happened to it, but it's unlikely it's in this town anymore."

Watanuki paled and turned to Domeki, who nodded. They both knew how potentially disastrous this could be. If the feather shard wasn't in town they might never find it. After a few moments of tense silence Watanuki shook himself and addressed the spirit.

"Thank you for everything you have done. I have two questions, though. How do you know Yuko and why are you helping us?"

Domeki also turned to look at the spirit as that second question had been nagging at him ever since the spirit first appeared.

"You two don't know?", the girl asked with surprise, "Yuko's been calling in favors all day. A bunch of spirits that she's helped in the past, but merely put her help on their 'tab' so to speak. Now she's asking them to aid your investigation as their payments."

"That probably means she'll charge ME for having to call in all those favors! Aw man, why me!?", Watanuki whined.

The spirit's normal smile turned mysterious as she spoke again, "Well, I wouldn't count on that. Things rarely go the way you expect them to. Goodbye, see you later, maybe…"

Watanuki blinked and she was gone. He glanced to both sides and behind him, but all he saw was some trash, a dumpster, and Domeki.

"Well, that last part was weird, wasn't it?", Watanuki said to himself more than Domeki.

Domeki took it upon himself to answer anyway, "Yes. You should keep it in mind, just in case it's important."

Watanuki felt his irritation rise, "I know that you jerk! Can't you tell what a rhetorical statement is? God, just hearing your voice makes me irritated!"

Watanuki stalked off on his own, missing the rolling of Domeki's eyes. Instead he walked out of the alley and straight into the street. Again. This time Domeki immediately sprung into action, sprinting to prevent the idiot from killing himself.

Watanuki was acutely aware of the traffic, but for some reason he didn't react to it. He just walked in a straight line at the same pace, no matter how close a car came to hitting him.

He was almost all the way across the street when a car came barreling at him, the driver apparently not seeing the teen. Watanuki turned towards the car without a hint of panic on his face. On the contrary, he seemed totally calm, as if he thought the car couldn't possibly hurt him.

Just before impact he was tackled from behind by someone. The car whizzed by, probably not noticing its near miss. Watanuki blinked a few times, his brain trying to catch up to what just happened.

'_Did I just walk into traffic AGAIN!? What the hell is wrong with me? I bet Domeki is pissed, I mean he was so worried the last time', _Watanuki thought, even as he turned to face the person who saved him.

He was nowhere near surprised when the person on top of him turned out to be Domeki. What DID surprise him was the look on his face. He had expected Domeki to look extremely angry, or failing that, at least have his usual blank look on his face. Instead, Domeki looked as if he was going to cry. Or at least as close to 'going to cry' as Domeki ever got.

Domeki began to move his right hand and Watanuki flinched, fearing an angry punch, but all he did was cup his cheek. He continued to look at Watanuki until he got a suddenly seemed to realize something. Watanuki waited a few moments more, and Domeki's face morphed back into it's usual stoicism.

He pulled himself up and then extended his hand to Watanuki, who tentatively took it. He seemed to be debating something internally before he fixed Watanuki with an intense look, apparently having something to say.

"We're going to the café."

"What café?"

"The café where we're supposed to meet Kunogi. Frankly, I need some time to cool down, and we can use the hour or so until she shows up to talk."

Domeki didn't elaborate on what they would be talking about, but Watanuki didn't need him to. He felt guilty for acting so stupidly again, and even guiltier for being the one to put that look on Domeki's face. When Domeki started walking Watanuki started following without a word.

They fell into step next to each other. They didn't make eye contact, but they did glance at each other from time to time. Watanuki, trying to figure out if Domeki was angry or not, and Domeki, making sure Watanuki was keeping pace and not throwing himself into the street.

After about ten minutes of walking they reached the shop which was called Same As It Never Was Café. Watanuki stood pondering the unique name before Domeki grabbed his hand and dragged him in. Domeki's grip wasn't painful, but Watanuki knew he couldn't shake him off easily. If he didn't know that Domeki wasn't in the best mood he might have tried anyway, but as it was, he merely blushed at having his hand held.

It was a standard coffee house. There were a few couches, comfy chairs, and tables for four, but the majority of the café was peppered by tables for two. All of the tables for four were taken so Domeki seated himself and Watanuki at a table for two. Himawari would just have to pull up a chair.

Domeki picked up a menu and began browsing the drink options. Watanuki followed suit.

"What do you want?", Domeki asked with no decipherable tone in his voice.

Watanuki was a bit surprised that he hadn't been chewed out yet but managed to speak up, "Um… white hot chocolate sounds good."

Domeki nodded and took their orders to the front. He proceeded to pay and bring back the drinks. He had ordered what appeared to be a black coffee.

He sat down and still said nothing, he merely took a sip from his cup. Watanuki was starting to freak out.

'_Why hasn't he said anything!? Isn't he mad? Maybe he's just waiting for the right time to start screaming at me!', _Watanuki panicked in the comfort of his imagination.

"Calm down. I'm not angry."

That caught Watanuki's attention. It appeared that Domeki had once again been able to tell what he had been thinking. He looked up, but Domeki wasn't looking at him. He was looking away, seeming a bit uncomfortable. Watanuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why not?", Watanuki questioned. He realized that this may be a stupid question that might aggravate Domeki, but he had to know.

Domeki took a moment before answering, choosing his words carefully, "Because it's not your fault. At least not entirely."

Watanuki's eyes widened at that, _'Not my fault? What does he mean by that?"_

"It sounds weird, I know, and I'll explain, but can you first tell me how you felt the two times you walked into the middle of the street," Domeki asked calmly.

Watanuki looked confused, but tried to remember anyway, "I felt…strong. Different than I normally do. Elevated above other people. Boundless confidence… that's what I remember, anyway."

"Have you been feeling like that a lot lately?"

Watanuki closed his eyes in concentration before talking, "Yes… I think I have. I'd feel it only a little, but it would grow over time. The two times I stepped out into the street and you saved me it was like getting hit in the face with cold water and I suddenly realized what I was doing. Afterwards, it seemed ridiculous that I would willingly put my life in such obvious danger for no reason…"

Watanuki trailed off and Domeki nodded, his suspicions confirmed. Watanuki was curious as to what the point was in all of this and decided to push the conversation along a bit.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I think I know why you did it."

* * *

A/N- I always write these reviews after I'm done writing the actual content, so I didn't realize until just now that this is the third time Watanuki has almost been hit by a car. If I try to use that again, someone please hit ME with a car. I mean, three times? He had a reason for two, which will be further explained in the next chapter, but still…

Review answering time!

EchizenRyomaLover- Yeah there was a little bit, I hope you were satisfied with the sweetness in this chapter. Also, by coincidence, I put a spirit in this chapter, but it didn't turn out to be evil. Ah ha ha, I'll try to update a bit faster.

asagohan-no-bento- It was a bit cute. As time goes on, Domeki will be showing more and more affection for Watanuki, but how long will Watanuki remain oblivious? Ah ha ha. Aw man, I can't believe I did that! It was just a normal butterfly, and the mistake was serious enough that I put up a corrected version of the second chapter. Thank you and if you catch any other mistakes, feel free to let me know!


	4. Of The Loop

A/N- Yeah it took awhile, but it's a bit longer so try not to hate me too much, yeah? I actually really like how this chapter turned out. Except I had to write So. Much. Dialogue! I think my dialogue sounds awkward and forced, and I'm never confident that I'm using the correct grammar rules for it, so I don't like to write it. Anyway, full steam ahead for chapter 4!

Disclaimer- Not Mine

Pairings- Dou/Wata

Warnings- Same as before

* * *

Chapter 4- Of The Loop

Watanuki blinked in shock before reverting to his usual internal response, _'That idiot thinks he knows why I walked into the street before I even do!? I don't think so. I'll hear him out just so I can laugh at him.'_

Domeki raised his eyebrows at Watanuki's rather superior looking grin. He was used to Watanuki yelling at him, but that 'I'm better than you' grin seemed out of place. He put it aside because, like it or not, he knew the reason for Watanuki's strange behavior. Domeki raised his coffee to his lips, taking a small sip, he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever.

Watanuki waited, feeling a certain tension in the air. His face started off smug, then grew expectant, before growing confused, and, finally, irritated. Domeki was apparently NOT going to offer the information without some prodding.

"Well!?", Watanuki asked with hints of both irritation and curiosity.

"Well what?"

Watanuki nearly slammed his face onto the table in front of him. He hadn't expected the moron to not even know what he was talking about.

"Well, are you going to elaborate how you know why I walked into a busy street twice in one day?," Watanuki probed.

Domeki's only reaction was to explain to Watanuki his reasoning, "We're waiting for Kunogi, so I don't have to say it twice. How's your drink?"

'_How's my drink!? Why, that jerk! Something that could possibly end my life and he asks me how my drink is! That's it, I'm shouting at him no matter how guilty I feel!', _Watanuki thought, preparing to release his full volume, but before he could do so…

"Mr. Watanuki? Is there a Mr. Kimihiro Watanuki here?"

Watanuki grimaced at the effort of holding in his rage and turned towards the voice. It apparently belonged to one of the employees.

"Um… that's me."

She walked over to the two boys with a smile. She reached the table and immediately began to talk, "You have a phone call from a Ms. Himawari Kunogi. I can lead you to where the phone is, if you like."

Watanuki looked quite surprised, but nodded. The girl gestured to an area closer to the back of the café and began walking over. Watanuki followed her and Domeki decided to wait for Watanuki's inevitable return.

The waitress smiled again and handed the phone over to Watanuki. She left to continue her work and Watanuki put the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Himawari? It's Watanuki."

"Ah, hello there Watanuki. Are you doing well?", Himawari said in a tired voice.

Watanuki nodded before realizing that Himawari couldn't see him and responded, "I'm doing ok, considering everything that's going on. Me and Domeki are waiting for you at Same As It Never Was Café. Are you calling to say you'll be late, or possibly change the meeting place?"

"About that…," Himawari paused for a moment before continuing, "I won't be meeting you at all."

There was a silence between them as Watanuki fought to process this information.

"Y-you're not coming!? I'm sure whatever you are doing instead is important, but we have some very serious matters to discuss! Are you sure you can't rearrange your schedule so that we could meet, if not now, then later on?"

Another pause.

"You're not understanding me Watanuki. When I say won't be meeting you at all, what I mean to say is I won't be meeting you ever again. That is, I'm cutting myself off from the rest of the world.", Himawari, on the verge of tears, could barely keep her voice under control.

Watanuki barely registered Himawari's tone of voice, and instead tried to figure out the meaning behind the words themselves, "Why in the world would you do that!? If you did that, I'd miss you forever!"

Himawari took a deep calming breath, sounding harsh and artificial over the phone. She then used all her willpower to put strength in her next words, desperately trying to get Watanuki to understand.

"All I ever do is cause people pain! Every time I get close to someone, something horrible happens to them! Well, I won't let my curse be the reason you and Domeki are unhappy. All the times you two have been involved with me, you've been hurt. Even this time, with the feather! All I did is touch it and now who knows what's going to happen to us!"

"But if I never got to see you again, then I wouldn't be nearly as happy as I am now! Do you remember what I said? That meeting you was one of the happiest things in my life? I still mean it! Please don't cut yourself off from the world!", Watanuki cried into the phone.

"I'm sorry Watanuki, but that won't work this time. Goodbye."

*click*

Watanuki froze, the words he was going to say dying in his throat. The dial tone in his ear seemed unreal. He silently put the phone back in it's cradle and wandered past the counter back to his seat. His head was down and his bangs covered his eyes.

"Watanuki, what's wrong? What did she say to you?", Domeki asked.

Watanuki looked up. He was crying silently. He tried to stutter a response, "D-D-Domeki! She, she said that she wasn't going to see either of us ever again because she causes us pain! Why would she say that, I-I think of her as one of my best friends! What could she possibly be thinking!?"

Domeki's brow furrowed in confusion. He stayed like that for several moments before opening his mouth with and "ah."

"Hey, do you know something? Tell me! I'm tired of having no idea what's going on!," Watanuki demanded.

Domeki sighed and looked straight into Watanuki's eyes, "I'll tell you my theory, but try to keep an open mind and interrupt as little as possible."

Seeing that Domeki was totally serious, Watanuki nodded. He was a little more open to Domeki's ideas after his surreal conversation with Himawari.

"Your and Kunogi's unusual behavior is caused by the feather fragments. You've noticed it yourself. You said that you didn't know why you had been acting so strangely, well this may be the cause."

"Well, what makes you think that the feather is causing it? I mean, it IS a stressful situation, a few abnormal actions are almost expected.", reasoned Watanuki.

"True," Domeki agreed, "but both of your actions are extreme to say the least. They are also quite illogical. You walked into the street, thinking you were invulnerable. Kunogi has locked herself away. Even if neither of you were aware of it when you made those decisions you are both about to basically commit suicide."

"Suicide!", Watanuki exclaimed, "That's ridiculous! I wasn't trying to commit suicide, and how is Himawari being alone suicidal?"

Domeki gazed out the window before answering, "As I said, you aren't aware of it, so it isn't suicide per se, but rather something close to it. As for Himawari… she has decided to never leave her home. How will she get food? Or get medical attention for an illness? Sure, her parents will try to help her, but at some point she may even reject them. If she keeps that thinking, she WILL die because of her own choices."

Watanuki couldn't come up with a logical argument to refute this claim, so he merely asked a question, "So you think the feather shards are controlling us and making us want to commit suicide without realizing it?"

"Hmmm, not quite. They're taking a quality or emotion of a person they have infected and enhancing it." Domeki started to explain, "It's just in your's and Kunogi's particular cases, the end result seems to lead to your own self destruction."

Watanuki nodded before questioning Domeki again, "If that's the case, then what are mine and Himawari's enhanced traits?"

"Well, have you noticed that Himawari tends to avoid people when she causes them pain?", Domeki asked Watanuki, who nodded, "Well, she's merely taken it to an extreme and shut herself away from the world. You on the other hand…"

Domeki trailed off. The teen seemed reluctant to continue. Watanuki figured it was probably because Domeki didn't want him to have to hear it.

"Domeki. I need to know."

At this the archer nodded and spoke again, "You have had a sudden increase in pride."

The café was buzzing with activity, but Watanuki could only hear his own thoughts. _'Pride? I don't have too much pride! He must be mistaken.'_

"I'm sorry Domeki, but the only one acting strangely is you!", Watanuki said, smiling kindly, "I don't think I've been affected by the feather, but that you have instead."

Domeki looked a bit surprised before he gathered his wits and answered, "Be careful. That's the pride talking. This 'I can't be hurt' or 'I can do it alone' attitude is a common symptom of prideful people, and yours way out of control."

The smaller teen frowned and considered what Domeki had said. _'That IS true. Those are pretty prideful thoughts and they're similar to the ones I've been having. Could he actually be right?'_

Seeing that Watanuki was beginning to be convinced, he pressed his advantage and cautioned the boy again, "You need to be careful and fight those feelings. You're no good to anyone if you can't cooperate."

'_It's annoying to hear him say it, but I guess it's true I really do need to- Hey wait a minute!'_

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, before I go taking advice from some stupid Domeki, what's your supposed emotion or quality or whatever!? There's no way it isn't affecting you by now, so tell what it is!", Watanuki screamed.

The entire café went dead silent. Every single patron of the store was staring right at them, mostly at the person who had shouted. Watanuki was huffing angrily and wait for a response from Domeki, who sat there for a few moments. What happened next caused Watanuki's eyes to go as wide as dinner plates.

Domeki blushed!

Not a 'light dusting' or a 'rosy tint', but a full on crimson blush! Watanuki was dumbstruck and Domeki looked incredibly uncomfortable. He sat there and glanced everywhere but at Watanuki who couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence. He suddenly stood up, and grabbed both his and Watanuki's cups and went to the register for refills.

He apparently needed time to regain his composure. That was fine with Watanuki, who didn't think he'd ever forget that face. Domeki came back a few minutes later with drinks in hand. Black coffee for him and white hot chocolate for his friend.

There was an awkward silence before the both grabbed their cups at the same time and took a tentative sip. The atmosphere in the café seemed to have returned to normal, although people still sent them glances every now and then. Watanuki waited surprisingly patiently for Domeki to begin the conversation.

They sat in silence for a half an hour or so. The two teens had almost finished their respective drinks before Domeki broke the silence hovering over them

"I can't tell you."

Watanuki nodded and surprised both himself and Domeki by asking in a calm voice, "Why not?"

Domeki took another sip of his coffee. It was clear he didn't want a repeat of his earlier reaction and wanted to take the conversation slowly. Watanuki took a sip of his own drink, silently agreeing to Domeki's slow conversational pace.

"If I told you… that would prompt a particular… reaction from you. And if that happened I'd no longer be able to fight it.", Domeki elaborated. His face remained calm and composed.

Now Watanuki REALLY wanted to know what the feather was doing to Domeki, but decided to just let it go, because he just knew that Domeki was telling the truth. Even if his emotions were running rampant, he had actually managed to stop Watanuki from hurting himself twice, so he hadn't been consumed by the feather yet.

Domeki again spoke up, "So what we need to do now is focus on our next move. Two feather shards are MIA and we know the people that three of them inhabit. Where do we go from here?"

"Well, Yuko can probably take care of herself. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to bring the infected people to Yuko's house until we can find them all," Watanuki reasoned, "We should probably gather the feather shards we know about and bring them to Yuko's, and then search for the others. I think Himawari should be our first stop."

Domeki nodded solemnly and voiced his own opinion, "I agree on all counts except the last one. Kunogi is not a danger to herself or others right now. We should head towards the feather fragment we have no information on."

"Kohane!", Watanuki shouted in understanding.

"Exactly. We need to find out if her feather will cause her to become destructive or not. And either way bring her to the witch's shop," Domeki said, "Kunogi should probably be our last stop."

"Ok!", Watanuki exclaimed, smiling, "We may not be out of the woods yet, but it feels good to have most of the information and a plan! Let's finish our drinks then head to Kohane's house."

Domeki showed his agreement by taking a sip of his drink. Neither boy would finish their drink, however, for at that moment the two of them felt something familiar. The presence of a feather besides their own.

The duo didn't utter a word to each other, but merely sprang up and exited the café as quickly as their legs would carry them, heading in the direction of the feather shard's aura.

It didn't take them long to reach the center of the unusual energy. However, there was something odd. The entire area was thick with spirits. Though they were outside, the air was stifling for the teens. Domeki, being the less affected of the two, grabbed Watanuki's hand and led him through what could only be described as a miasma.

The spirits were NOT happy. Clearly something was stirring them up. Suddenly they heard a scream. Not so much a scream, as a roar of inhuman anger. The spirits started to move quickly and the wind gained great speed. If it hadn't been for Domeki's ability to repel spirits they'd have been turned away by now.

They came across an alley, where they felt pulsing waves of power from the feather fragment. Due to the roar, many people had gathered at both ends of the alley and appeared to be gawking at something in the middle of it.

Inside the alley, there was a teenager that was probably around Watanuki's own age. He was tall and well built, he was also wearing a school uniform, though it wasn't the same uniform as Domeki and Watanuki. Those, however, were not what was drawing people's attention.

He was holding a rather large shard of glass in both hands. He was gripping it so tightly that his hands were bleeding. His face was twisted in rage. He seemed to have lost all reason, and he looked as if he could attack the crowd at any moment.

Spirits swirled around him, clearly feeding off the angry energy that had been enhanced by the feather. They had been quiet up until this point, but they began whispering in his ear.

"SHUT UUUUUP!", He screamed at the crowd, clearly unable to see the spirits and assuming that it was their voices that he heard.

Watanuki didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew those spirits weren't trying to help. If things continued like this, that man would attack the crowd and get sent to jail, where he would try to kill people in anger until he himself was killed.

Watanuki didn't thought quickly and reached a decision. Without consulting Domeki, he pushed his way through both the crowd and the oppressive aura of the spirits. He ran straight at the angry teen and wrapped him in an embrace.

The stranger tensed and raised his arms, possibly intending to strike Watanuki with the shard of glass.

Watanuki, however began to whisper "Please calm down, please calm down, please calm down" with fervor. The teen slowly lowered his arms and dropped the glass fragment. The sea of onlookers, Domeki included, breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to disperse.

A few of the people looked wary and wondered if they should really leave that small kid alone with that unstable person, but when Domeki showed up next to them, those people left as well.

Watanuki hadn't had the courage to look up into the other boy's face to see if he was safe or not, so he just kept whispering his line, over and over.

The boy smiled slightly and patted Watanuki's head, before breaking the embrace and taking a step back. At this moment Domeki made his entrance and checked Watanuki over for any kind of injury. Watanuki blushed, but stayed still and instead studied the person in front of him.

He was even taller and more muscular than Domeki. He had brown hair and bright green eyes. He smiled at Watanuki, but immediately frowned afterwards, seemingly in deep thought.

"Um…", Watanuki said, drawing everyone's attention, "I'm Kimihiro Watanuki and this here is Domeki. Are you alright?"

The boy smiled a bit and said, "Name's Akira Kisaragi, please call me Akira. I'm very sorry for what just happened. I've been feeling angry for most of today, and it seems that I just couldn't keep it in check any longer."

"About that…" Watanuki started, earning a glance from Akira, "I know why you've been so angry lately."

"Really!? Why's that?"

"Well I don't know if you'll believe me but you've absorbed a piece of an item with great power. If you concentrate, you will be able to feel the same power within the two of us. Anyway, the power struggle between your soul and the item is causing one of your emotions to be become extreme. In your case, it's anger."

Akira opened his mouth to comment, but Watanuki also had one last thing to say, "Also, that 'whispering' you've been hearing? It's ghosts. They're were all around just a moment ago, but now they are gone. I can't imagine why they were harassing you."

Akira let out a big hearty laugh. He laughed so hard and for so long that he got a glare from both Watanuki AND Domeki, who had yet to say anything.

He saw their glares and attempted to explain himself, "It's not that I don't believe you, trust me. I do believe you. It's just I'm so happy to finally have an explanation for all of this. I thought I was going crazy! You would not believe the day I had!."

* * *

A/N- How was that? I thought it was pretty good. Yeah they were both kinda OOC, but now you know the reason, right? Now you, the reader, have a decision to make. I have a side story for how Akira got to the point where he met Watanuki and Domeki, but it isn't vital to the main story. I can skip it if you want. For those of you who review, do you want to know more about Akira or not? Lemme know, it's up to you!

And now I respond to reviews!

asagohan-no-bento- Please feel free to correct my stories at any time, I mean we don't get better if we don't know what we're doing wrong, right? Thanks for reassurance on the car thing, I just don't want it to become a fallback, like "what should I do now? Have someone almost get hit by a car!" that would get old fast.

If you do draw that comic, then please let me know, I'd love to see it!

I hadn't any plans to bring her back, but if you liked her… maybe she'll make a cameo.

James Birdsong- Thank you!

EchizenRyomaLover- Frankly, I'm just glad that people are reading this at all! So please don't worry about reading quickly, I mean I take forever to get chapters out so I can't complain too much.

Aww, maybe I'll do something like that… anything's possible!


	5. Of Time

A/N- Yeah, so, the vote went 2 to 1 in favor of skipping Akira's side story, which is fine by me. I do explain some things about him, but only the bare minimum. Trust me, if it seems like a lot, just remember that, as per your requests, I cut it probably into a quarter of what it was. If you haven't read chapter 4 recently you might want to read the last part of it again, because the first part of THIS chapter is pretty confusing without it. Please enjoy my writings!

Disclaimer- Not Mine.

Pairings- Dou/Wata

Warnings- Same as always

* * *

Chapter 5- Of Time

Akira let out another hearty laugh. It was carefree and full of mirth. It was the sort of laugh that drew you in and made you want to smile.

He then looked at Domeki and Watanuki with a more appraising eye and said, "Although, judging from the feeling I'm getting you most definitely WOULD believe the day I've had…"

He trailed off and smiled again. Watanuki was finding it hard to believe that this happy personality was even capable of anger, despite having seen him in a rage only moments ago.

There was a brief silence in which Akira maintained a smile and Domeki leaned against a wall in the alley. Watanuki began to feel uncomfortable, but judging from the facial expressions of the other two boys, he was the only one feeling this way.

To cover it, he asked a question, "So, Akira, you believed me right away, despite it being an awfully fantastic explanation. Why is that?"

"Ah yes, we should discuss that." Akira said in a more serious tone of voice.

He spoke to both Watanuki and Domeki, "The answer to your question is a bit complicated, as it's only because of the day I had that I believed you. Mind listening for a bit?"

Watanuki shook his head, indicating he didn't mind. Domeki gave a quick "no".

"To tell the truth, I'd have believed you about the spirits no matter when you told me. I was born with two special… gifts. One is the ability to sense spirits. I can't see them, and I can only hear them if the ghost really focuses on reaching me, but I do generally know when one is lurking around. This has been a trait of the males in my family for generations."

At this point Akira's voice took on a tone of lecture, as if he was teaching a class a lesson he'd gone through many times before. Watanuki assumed that this was because he HAD explained it a lot. Lord knows Watanuki had tried to tell others about spirits, before they called him a liar.

Akira continued, "I think the ghosts know that I can sometimes hear them, because at any given time there are two or three hovering around me, though I don't feel any right now."

"That's because of Domeki over there. He has the power to repel spirits." Watanuki explained.

Akira's eyes widened slightly, but then he smiled and went on, "A very useful power indeed. Continuing on… As I said, I can sense spirits and sometimes hear them. However, every now and then I'll hear a spirit, but think that a regular person said it. Malicious spirits often use this to create havoc in my life. It's actually caused quite a few arguments with friends."

Watanuki sort of sensed a connection between those comments and something else, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Domeki, however, was more than up to the task.

"That's why you thought the things those spirits were saying were coming from the crowd.", Domeki said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Akira whirled to Domeki and pointed his right hand at him, his fingers in the shape of a gun. He then stated in a serious voice, "Bingo. Ten points, Domeki."

He looked back in forth between the two with the same expression on his face before laughing in his usual manner. Watanuki immediately felt tired_, 'I thought he was a happy guy, but maybe he's just a weird guy.'_

After thinking that, however, he thought of the people that were currently in his life. His thoughts mainly focused on Yuko, Domeki, and Himawari.

'_Or maybe not that weird after all.'_

Meanwhile, Akira had started his story again, "Anyway, around lunch time a big power hit me in the back and knocked me down. Since then I've felt something, which I now know is some powerful item or whatever, inside me and my anger has seemed to grow, culminating in what you saw a few minutes ago."

"Now Watanuki, if you don't mind, could you tell me exactly what's going on?", Akira asked.

Watanuki nodded and related everything that had happened up till their meeting Akira. Every now and then Domeki would butt in supply some detail that Watanuki had forgotten. This would send Watanuki into hysterics, which in turn caused Akira to laugh quite heartily. To anyone passing by it would seem that the trio were merely school friends, not three people discussing something that could cause their deaths.

"So in other words," Watanuki finished, "It's all our fault that you are like this. I'm sorry."

Akira was quick to assure Watanuki that everything was fine, "Oh, not at all! It's not really anyone's fault! I don't blame you or anything. Instead of apologizing and feeling sorry for ourselves, we should focus on our next move. Do we have a plan?"

Domeki supplied the answer this time, "We were heading towards Kohane's house when we found you. We're going to gather everyone at the witch's store so she can remove the feathers."

"Which witch? Oh! I remember. Her name is Yuko, right?," Akira asked and got slight nods from both boys, "Well in that case, how does my appearance affect things? I don't know where the store is so I'll need a guide."

Domeki and Watanuki looked at each other, slightly perplexed. Neither wanted to delay the mission, especially since Kohane might hurt herself if they took too long.

Watanuki sighed and proposed a new plan, "Domeki will take Akira to the store while I go fetch Kohane."

"I object!", Domeki immediately shouted in a forceful tone, "You'll be completely defenseless without me to protect you. Come with me to drop Akira off and then we can go together, or better yet, let ME be the one to go to her house while YOU take Akira to the store."

Watanuki got ready to release a hellfire of protest, but Akira interceded, "Um, whatever you two decide you should do so quickly. I'm starting to feel pretty annoyed. I only have a little while before I become violent again…"

The warning from Akira was enough of a reason for Watanuki to attempt to reason with Domeki, "If Akira becomes violent, you're the only one strong enough to prevent him from hurting himself or others. Also, I'm the one of us that's closest to Kohane. That means if the feather has caused her start to self destruct I'm the one with the best chance to 'shock her back to reality' so to speak."

Domeki looked like he was wavering on the edge of being convinced so Watanuki decided to give him one last push, "This is NOT the pride talking. I can do this. Trust me."

Domeki looked uncertain for one moment more before he looked into Watanuki's eyes and nodded. With no further words needed, Watanuki began sprinting towards Kohane's house. Time was of the essence if he wanted to save her. His mad dash left Domeki and Akira staring after him incredulously. Both of them were wondering how he could run so fast.

Domeki indicated a path and spoke up, "This way."

Akira shook himself and looked towards where Domeki was already starting to walk. He smiled again, but this time it looked a bit strained. They walked in silence for a bit. Domeki seemed perfectly content to let it continue, but Akira began to get more and more antsy. He eventually broke the silence.

"Do you mind if we have a conversation? I'm starting to get really irritated with all the silence and just everything in general and I need to do something to take my mind off of it."

Domeki glanced over to Akira and spoke, "Sure, I don't mind. I probably wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said anything. You are very good at appearing happy."

"Ha ha ha, I've been practicing since I knew I COULD smile, you might say.", Akira laughed, "I could say the same about you. You seem stoic and in control, but you're just a small push away from losing it."

"What makes you say that?", Domeki said with an edge in his voice.

"Well, I didn't tell you this before, but the other power that I was born with is that I get feelings every now and then. I can't control them, but suddenly a feeling about a person or how my day will be flashes through my head and they are always accurate," Akira explained, "and when I looked at you two I got a feeling that you were barely hanging on to your control and that our friend Watanuki had something to do with it."

Domeki said nothing and merely looked straight ahead. He seemed unaffected by the information.

Akira noted Domeki's silence and continued on, "Now, you don't seem like the type to lose control often so I assume that the feather is somehow making you almost lose control. You seem totally fine around me, so the feather is specifically making you react to him. There's only one thing that feather could possibly be making you feel."

Domeki said nothing, but he noticeably tensed.

"It's love." Akira said, but then added an afterthought, "Or lust. Either way, you have romantic feelings for that boy."

Domeki neither confirmed nor denied the accusation, but merely spoke in his monotone, "Assuming what you've deduced is true what are you going to do with this information? Tell Watanuki?"

Akira looked surprised and then looked down. He looked like he felt guilty.

"I am so sorry!", he apologized, "I was so focused on distracting myself from my anger that I was inconsiderate towards you. I won't tell him anything, I promise! I'm sorry, please forgive me."

Now Domeki looked surprised and started to reassure Akira, "It's not that bad. It's not horrible having someone know. It's a little easier to bear, in fact."

Akira looked relieved. They both stood staring at each other for a moment. At some point during their exchange the pair had stopped moving.

"Maybe we should pick up the pace?" Akira joked.

Domeki nodded and began walking towards Yuko's. Akira was quick to follow him. They traveled in silence for some time until Akira suddenly sat down cross legged on the ground. He brought his hands up to his sides and brought his middle finger to his thumb. His eyes were closed and it was pretty clear that he had assumed a classic meditation pose.

"What are you doing?", Domeki asked.

"I'm trying to combat the anger welling up inside me. It's working, a little.", Akira answered.

Domeki blinked and asked another question, "Will you be able to continue?"

Akira didn't answer the question for a little while. He took several deep, calming breaths before responding.

"N-No, I don't think I will… You should get away from me before I hurt you.", Akira warned.

"Sorry, but I need to get you to the house. I can't leave you alone." Domeki replied.

"I said GET AWAY!", Akira roared furiously.

Akira stood up and advanced on Domeki. His movements were clunky, possibly because Akira was still trying to control his anger. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop him. As Akira got closer and closer, a fight appeared inevitably. Just before Domeki would have to take some action, he had a passing thought.

'_I wonder what Watanuki is doing right now?' _

* * *

Watanuki's sprint away from Domeki and Akira lasted about as long as it took to leave the both of their sights. He slowed to a jog after that. He wasn't being lazy, after all he'd spent the greater part of his day dashing around a shopping district looking for feather fragments. Not to mention his rather emotionally draining confrontations with Domeki, Himawari, AND Akira. He was exhausted, but he didn't allow himself any time to rest, because he believed that he was fine.

In any case, he made a beeline for Kohane's house. It didn't take him very long to get there, in fact it probably only took him about twenty minutes. He could've been there even faster, but for some reason an increase in spirit activity forced him to take more detours than usual. He figured they were probably stirred up because they were sensing the feather shards' power.

Upon his arrival he immediately rang the doorbell. He heard some shuffling, which he assumed was Kohane, make its way to the door. The door slowly opened and Watanuki was rendered speechless.

'_What the hell is this!?', _He thought to himself.

Kohane was standing still in the doorway, looking directly at Watanuki. She was dressed as she always was. She looked as healthy as she ever did. But when Watanuki looked into her eyes he saw nothing. There was no spark, no fire, and certainly nothing he could describe as 'familiarity'.

"Ah, Watanuki. I expected you sometime today.", Kohane stated in a monotone that surpassed even Domeki's in terms of frigidness.

Watanuki faltered for a moment before answering, "Hello again, Kohane. How ar- hey wait! Did you just call me Watanuki?"

"Indeed I did."

"Why aren't you calling me Kimihiro like you always do?"

"I don't presently care to."

Something was DEFINITELY wrong with this girl. Although Kohane certainly wasn't in line to win most expressive of the year award, this was something else entirely.

'_Could it have something to do with her feather?', _Watanuki mused.

"Oh, ah, well, moving on… You've been infected with a shard of a feather.", Watanuki began to explain.

"I know that already. Please say what you have to say quickly.", Kohane interrupted.

Watanuki was momentarily stunned. How did she know that? He gathered enough of his wits to continue, "Anyway, you're in danger if you don't have it removed, so we're gathering everyone with a piece of the feather and going to Yuko's house so she can remove them."

"I see.", Kohane stated, "Then I will head over there right now and see if there is anything that can be done."

"Here, I'll go with you so you have a guide.", Watanuki offered.

"No thank you, Watanuki. I do not require an escort. Also, your path lies somewhere else, I think.", Kohane said coldly.

The teen merely watched with a sad look on his face as Kohane gathered some things and left the house. He felt completely alone in the fair sized house.

'_I guess it's up to me to do the rest on my own.', _He thought to himself.

He left the house and began traveling in a different direction from the way that Kohane want. Kimihiro Watanuki was NOT going back to Yuko's house. Although he hadn't promised to, there had been an implied agreement that he would escort Kohane to the store. He was, however, currently headed towards another destination. Domeki was going to be furious. Or at least give him that strange look that Watanuki had been getting from him since this whole thing had started.

Watanuki rushed along towards his destination when a voice rang out from behind him.

"So we meet again, spirit seer!"

Watanuki whirled around to see the Ame-Warashi and the Zashiki-Warashi. Although the Ame-Warashi had her customary scowl on, it seemed to be intertwined with a deep concern, probably for her friend, who appeared to be crying enough to make even the best rain maker jealous.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?", Watanuki asked with concern.

"I'll tell you what's wrong, human!", the Ame-Warashi cried, "Ever since my friend here got hit with some weird object she's gotten sadder and sadder. It's gotten so bad that she can't help but cry nonstop! When it got this bad I figured it had something to do with the lot of you."

Watanuki was instantly reminded of what the girl spirit had told him. She said that she sensed two but that one "disappeared". It probably went through the well and straight onto the Zashiki-Warashi's mountain where it then infected her. At least he had the last feather fragment. If it had gotten into anyone else, he probably never would have been able to find it.

'_I know she was technically correct, but does she really have such a low opinion of me that when something goes wrong she immediately assumes it's my fault?", _Watanuki whined internally.

The teen sighed and gave them a briefing on the situation. This sent one of the two into a fury and the other into an even more severe crying fit. Watanuki did his best to look apologetic, but knew that sometimes the truth was unpleasant. He looked at the figure that was crumpled on the ground, crying. The Zashiki-Warashi looked like she was drowning, and not only because of all the tears, but also because he sensed that her emotions were overwhelming her. This didn't look good. He took the Ame-Warashi aside to talk to her privately.

"Look, this is only going to get worse. She may get so sad that she wants to take her own life. Watch her carefully. If you don't follow my instructions she might end up dead.", Watanuki warned.

The girl nodded and dragged her friend off to Yuko's, already knowing that that is where she was most likely to find aid, even if it did come at a price.

Watanuki waved goodbye as the two turned a corner. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Now there was only one feather piece left to acquire. They didn't have time to wait for Domeki to show up. He was perfectly capable of handling it all by himself.

He was going to Himawari's house.

* * *

A/N- Yeah so it took longer than I thought. It's because I kept taking stuff out and adding other things in. I guess we're getting pretty close to the climax, but don't assume you know where it's gonna end! I have a few surprises in store for you.

Review Answering Time!

asagohan-no-bento- Ah ha ha, your review certainly sounded excited! Your question has been partially answered. Akira deduced some things, but Domeki admitted to nothing. It's still up in the air. I really liked the Watanuki/Akira scene. I originally had Domeki punching him out, but I thought that this worked better.

EchizenRyomaLover- Well, you got to learn more about Akira and have the focus not shift too much! Or, at least, I hope I accomplished that. Ha ha, you still don't really know the answer! Akira figures that it's either lust or love, but Domeki didn't admit to anything, yet! Short reviews are alright, I completely understand. Just the fact you cared enough to review at all is enough for me.

JamesBirdsong- You don't? Ah, well I had to explain SOME stuff about him or certain plot points wouldn't make sense, but I did cut out a lot of the things I had planned for him. I hope it didn't make your reading less enjoyable!


	6. Of Control

A/N- I was really excited to surprise you guys and get this chapter done early, so I started working on it the moment I posted the other one, but I had just finished the chapter a few days ago and was looking over it when I realized something. It was almost EXACTLY the same as the previous chapter. No joke. It was like getting déjà vu. So I reworked the chapter to make it more intense! Hope you guys like this chapter as well.

Disclaimer- Not mine

Pairings- If you don't know this by now, are you sure you're really reading what I'm writing?

Warnings- This chapter actually has a warning. Blood, but not graphically described.

* * *

Chapter 6- Of Control

"This is NOT going to be easy," Watanuki said to no one in particular.

He had been walking towards Himawari's house for a good five minutes. He was contemplating the best way to get through to Himawari. Unlike him and Domeki, Himawari hadn't been snapped out of her extreme emotion by a shocking event. It was likely that she was almost completely gone by now.

He arrived at her house without anything horrible happening to him. That makes this, somewhat depressingly, one of his best starts to a mission. He looked at the house with suspicion, trying to sense if there was anything wrong with it.

There appeared to be nothing amiss.

'_Well that's a good sign, at least. It means Himawari's emotions aren't attracting spiritual activity,' _Watanuki mused to himself.

He was about to walk up the path to the house when a voice rang out of nowhere.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaait! Stop! Don't take one step farther!"

Watanuki spun to his right to face the direction of the voice. A familiar face was standing… no, wait, floating above the sidewalk. It was the teenage girl spirit that had given Watanuki the information on Kohane!

"You shouldn't go in there. It's dangerous!", the spirit told him worriedly.

Watanuki quirked an eyebrow and looked at the house again before answering, "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary."

The spirit's eyes widened before she responded, "Then there is something seriously wrong with you. There's no way someone with as good a sense as you wouldn't be able to detect the strange energy leaking out of this place."

"Even if I could," Watanuki began, "I'd still have to go in. My friend's in there and I need her. Lives hang in the balance."

The girl met Watanuki's determined glare with one of her own. They both knew she couldn't physically stop him, however this girl was nothing if not stubborn. The two held each others gazes for a full minute, before the girl flew off in a seemingly random direction at top speed. Watanuki was left stunned and watched her disappear.

'_Where is she flying off too? Huh. Maybe she's getting Domeki? Well, even if that's what she's doing she won't be in time to stop me from going in alone.', _Watanuki though bull-headedly.

On that note, he quickly walked right up to the door. He knocked and waited for a minute or two. No answer. He repeated the routine only this time he rang the doorbell. He was greeted with silence. Growing irritated with the lack of response even though he was certain Himawari was inside, he tried opening the door. It opened with ease.

He stepped inside the house, barely pausing to remove his shoes like the polite young man he was. If Watanuki didn't have inside information he would have assumed that the house was vacant or else the people that lived there were on vacation, because the entire first floor was devoid of signs of life. There wasn't any mess anywhere, there were no dishes in the sink, and certainly no lights left on.

Himawari had obviously not been moving around since she went home. The skittish teen kept hearing sounds of the house settling and turning around in a flash, expecting his love interest to appear at any moment.

He was about to about to ascend the staircase to Himawari's room, where he assumed she would be, when he heard a loud crack that resounded throughout the entire house. It wasn't coming from upstairs. Watanuki looked around for the source of the noise. He didn't see anything amiss in the rooms he'd already been in so he assumed that the sound had come from an area he hadn't been in yet. The problem was, there was nowhere on the first floor he hadn't been, except…

'_Except this door I didn't see before. I can't believe I missed it! Man, this is getting creepy. Where is she?', _Watanuki wondered.

Watanuki tentatively opened the door, expecting to find anything ranging from and ordinary closet to a portal to another dimension. He found neither of these things. What he did find was a stairway. It led down into a complete darkness. There was absolutely no light to give a hint as to what was down there. In fact, it became impossible to see past the third step down. Watanuki wasn't keen on entering the darkness, but he knew he had to.

'_Himawari wants to hide from the world and this would probably be the best place in her house to do so. I'm sure I can handle her if she's down there.', _Watanuki thought to himself.

He stepped down into the impenetrable darkness, his inner thoughts doing little to calm his nerves. The stairs were wooden, and, although Watanuki couldn't say they were in disrepair, he couldn't help but imagine how painful a one way trip to the ground would be. Besides that, each of his steps made the stairs creak. It sounded deafeningly loud in the silence of the house.

Watanuki took slow cautious steps down the staircase, his tension and fear building with each step. He reached to bottom of the staircase and he had nowhere to go except into the black room.

"H-Himawari?", Watanuki called, quite proud of his only small stutter.

If Himawari was in the basement, however, she was not impressed, for there was no answer. There was, however, a curious dripping sound. Taking a deep breath and swallowing Watanuki felt around the nearby walls for a light switch. He didn't find it. That probably meant that it was one of those lights operated by a string that were so common in basements. If that were the case then the key to getting light was probably located in the center of the room.

Watanuki left the relative safety that the last step of the staircase gave him and moved onto the hard surface of the basement floor. The dripping sound seemed to intensify, though that was probably his imagination. He walked towards what he assumed was the center of the room.

Several times he nearly scared himself to death when he bumped into what he could only assume was furniture. With the only sound in the room being dripping the loud noise of him crashing into furniture was certainly jarring to say the least.

When he had gone another yard ago his face was assaulted with what he assumed was a spider web. Despite his rather poor track record with spiders and their webs in the past, he swatted at it. It was knocked away before it came back and hit him in the face with a bit more force. He flailed at it for a little bit more before he realized something.

It didn't feel like a normal spider web. It felt thicker and less sticky. It also kept coming back at him no matter how many times he hit it away. Could it possibly be-

DRIP

-the light switch he was looking for?

DRIP

Watanuki took hold of it and felt it.

DRIP

It definitely wasn't a spider web. Watanuki hesitated a brief moment before-

DRIP

-he pulled the string.

DRIP

The bulb lit up and illuminated the room. The bright light temporarily blinded Watanuki.

DRIP

He reached under his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

DRIP

He looked around and gasped.

DRIP

The entire room was covered in blood!

* * *

Just ten minutes before Watanuki made his gruesome discovery. Akira and Domeki were again walking, though this time they were breathing heavily and both sides had sustained injuries. Domeki was cradling his arm and walking with a heavy limp. He also had a few bruises on his face. Akira didn't look much better. He was limping as well, though not quite as badly as Domeki. His nose was bleeding and his lip looked a bit swollen. Perhaps what was most striking about the two was what wasn't there.

Domeki didn't appear angry at all, while Akira looked neither angry NOR happy, an unusual circumstance for him. Domeki seemed as stoic as ever. Akira was looking at straight at the ground. He was muttering something over and over.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,", he was saying, sounding absolutely desolate.

Every tenth "I'm sorry" or so, Domeki would say "Don't worry about it.", but Akira didn't stop saying it.

The fight caused by Akira's feather had gone in Domeki's favor, but only barely. Clearly he'd managed to shock Akira out of his rage, but at a great cost to himself. Domeki didn't hold it against him, but Akira seemed adamant on apologizing again and again so Domeki didn't do much to stop him.

They duo were again on their way to Yuko's house. They hadn't been walking for very long when they arrived. Domeki looked up, a bit of surprise showing on his face. He hadn't realized that they were so close when they started fighting.

The two battered teens slowly made their way to the front door, but before they opened it Akira noticed some movement and turned around. He saw a little girl standing behind them. He tugged on one of Domeki's sleeves, successfully getting him to turn around as well.

"Who's the kid?", he asked, looking back and forth between her and Domeki.

It was, of course, Kohane. She didn't bother answering, knowing Domeki could explain if he were so inclined. The stark difference between the old her and the one that was standing in front of the two boys now did not go unnoticed by Domeki. He was about to ask what was wrong with her, when a more pressing thought entered his head.

"Where is Watanuki?", He asked with concern in his voice.

Kohane didn't blink as she answered, "I told him I didn't need a chaperone and left my house alone. I don't know what became of him after that."

Domeki had a feeling that Watanuki wasn't simply taking his time in getting to the shop. He was about to probe Kohane for a more specific answer when he was interrupted by a somewhat familiar voice.

"Found ya! Hey, emotionless boy! Over here!", a girlish voice called.

It was the female spirit that had given the group information on the feathers!. Domeki slightly resented being called "emotionless boy" but got over it by the time she came in close enough to talk at a normal speaking level. Domeki did nothing and simply waited for the spirit to say whatever it had to say.

"I'm so glad I found you this quickly! I've got something really important to tell you.", the girl informed Domeki.

"What is it?", Akira asked.

The spirit looked at Akira and Kohane with confusion, clearly noticing them for the first time, but she got over it quickly and responded, "It's about your friend with glasses."

The entire group, well, Domeki and Akira at least, took in a breath of concern. This spirit might know if Watanuki was ok or not! They didn't voice this out loud, however, waiting for the transparent teen to get on with it.

"I was flying around searching for feather the last feather shard and the one that disappeared. I found one of them, and when I zeroed in on the energy signal, I saw your friend. He was about to go into the house that was emanating the feather energy. I normally wouldn't have announced myself, but that house had a seriously bad vibe leaking out of it and that kid didn't seem to have any idea. I warned him, but he couldn't sense what I could and just brushed me off. I flew to find you as fast as I could so you could stop him or at least help him out."

The girl finished explaining. She hadn't taken a breath throughout the whole thing, but it didn't seem to be bothering her. One of the perks of being dead, oxygen becomes less than necessary. Domeki stood still for a moment before leaping off the stoop of the store and taking off towards Himawari's at top speed. Akira followed a split second after.

The two were both concerned for their friend's safety. The pride was obviously going to his head. Both boys' concern was so great that they forgot their injuries for the moment and focused only on reaching Watanuki.

Akira put on a small burst of speed in order to run next to Domeki. He needed answers that he couldn't wait until the end of the danger for.

"Yo Domeki! Fill me in on this girl, if I know more I may be able to help more!", Akira shouted breathlessly.

Domeki spared him a glance before showing his agreement by answering, "Name's Himawari. She's got a curse that hurts the people she's involved with. Her feather is making her isolationist. She's probably harmless if left alone, but I'm afraid she may get violent when we try to move her to Yuko's. That's why we have to get to Watanuki right away! In his prideful state, he has no idea how much danger he's in!"

Akira listened intently while still running, filing away the information for later. The two didn't speak anymore, and instead focused on running as fast as they could. The wounds from their fight started to produce intense waves of pain every time their feet hit the ground but they ignored it. Aside from a slight misstep due to a weakened leg, there was no flagging in their pace either.

When they reached Himawari's house Domeki stopped abruptly, causing Akira to run a few feet ahead of Domeki before realizing he was running alone and headed back.

"Is this the house?" he asked.

Domeki nodded hesitantly. Now that they were there he could sense the intense emotions coming from the house. He was looking straight at the door, but he knew going in meant risking his life. In his injured state, would he even be able to help Watanuki. He might even get in his way and cause him harm.

Akira meanwhile only got the shivers from looking at the house. He looked around at the outsides of the house. He thought he saw a flash of movement coming from one of the upper story windows. He was about to tell Domeki, but before he could, he suddenly brought his hands to his head and gasped.

Domeki quickly turned toward the other teen. He had his hands grabbing at his head as if he were in pain. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

"What's wrong?", Domeki asked.

Akira didn't answer for a moment. His eyes suddenly flew open and his hands dropped to his sides. The eyes seemed to be quite watery, as if Akira were about to cry.

"I just got a feeling, no, not a feeling. This was far stronger than that, more like a vision… Suffice to say, if we don't go inside that house soon, terrible, terrible things will happen.", Akira whispered at a volume Domeki could only just hear. He seemed to be almost talking to himself more than anything.

Despite Akira's words of warning Domeki still argued within himself over whether going in would do anything at all. A piercing scream from inside the house settled that argument in a hurry. He dashed towards the house, ready to do anything in his power to protect the most important person in his life.

* * *

N/A- I know, I know major cliffhanger ending! Sorry bout that, but things just worked out the way they did and I had to end it here. I hope the parts with Watanuki were intense and a little frightening as that is what I was going for. I skipped the fight between Akira and Domeki for a variety of reasons, the main one being the length of the chapter, it probably would have been too long for my tastes. Another reason is I didn't want any events to detract from the desperation of Watanuki's situation. You'll learn more about the fight and Akira's vision later on.

Ah, the easy part, answering reviews!

- Don't worry about it! I like hearing your ideas. My original chapter was something close to what you described, but as explained in my two author's notes I chose not to write it like that. I hope you understand. As for Himawari, let's just say she's not going to be herself.

EchizenRyomaLover- Yeah I like Akira as well, though his role will become less important as time goes on. Ha ha, yeah it's probably love, but I haven't decided yet. I probably won't pick one or the other until I absolutely have to.

asagohan-no-bento- Thanks, I enjoy writing it! Yep Akira is actually closer to Domeki than Watanuki, though he'll probably be phased out eventually. Watanuki has NO idea what he's gotten himself into. Kohane's coldness will be explained. As Yuko might say "There's a reason for everything!" and again, I want to say thank you for the lovely drawing. It's fantastic.

James Birdsong- Thanks. Saying I write well is, in my opinion, high praise. Although it sounds like you weren't entirely happy with the last chapter, so I hope this one works better for you!


	7. Of Control part 2

A/N- Yep, this is it. The so called climactic point. I'm not too good at writing scary/suspenseful/dramatic stuff, but I've got a surprise or two up my sleeve.

Disclaimer- Not mine

Pairings- Watanuki/ Domeki (I actually wrote some moments between them, finally!)

Warnings- Yeah there's some bad stuff in this chapter… but saying what it is kinda gives it away… I'll just say this: things get a bit gruesome, but it shouldn't be too bad.

* * *

Chapter 7- Of Control part 2

Domeki and Akira burst through the front door and immediately began their search for Watanuki. Unfortunately, there had been no noises since the scream that had brought them there in the first place. They may have assumed that Himawari was in her room and, by extension, that Watanuki was there too, had Domeki not been observant enough to notice two things.

First, he noticed that the entire house was completely in order. No lights were on, though it was fast approaching darkness, no mess anywhere, and certainly no signs of life. Secondly, in this perfect order there seemed to be one element that was slightly amiss. There appeared to be an open door that led to a dimly lit basement.

"I think he's down there.", Domeki said, motioning towards the door.

Akira nodded, agreeing easily. The pair headed towards the eerily lit staircase. The stairs creaked each time they took a step and sometimes when they didn't. Had either been in the mood for talking, they would have agreed that the setting was creepy. As it was, however, neither felt the need to say anything and merely continued their journey downward.

Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase Domeki took a quick look around. He immediately saw Watanuki on the ground. He appeared to be unconscious and shivering, but not in any pain. Instead of going to him instantly, Domeki remained calm enough to scan the room for anything that could have possibly done this to his friend. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Akira stood at the bottom of the steps, keeping watch on both the stairs and the rest of the basement while Domeki went over to check on the unconscious teen. Watanuki appeared to be in shock, but snapped out of it as soon as Domeki touched him.

"Domeki! The blood, it's everywhere! I'm so afraid! How could Himawari do this!?", Watanuki cried.

Domeki said nothing and merely gathered the broken teen into his arms. Far from resisting, Watanuki curled inward towards Domeki's center, attempting to suppress his shaking and ragged breathing. The archer looked around the room and saw something interesting. It appeared to be several rust colored stains on the wall in front of him.

Domeki did a quick calculation in his head: Rust Colored Stains + Fear + The Situation We're In + Surprise= Total Freak-out From Watanuki?

Domeki smiled slightly at his friend's mannerisms and attempted to soothe him, "Watanuki there's no blood. You were mistaken."

"NO! You're wrong, I don't make mistakes!"

The larger male rolled his eyes and tried again, "That sounds like pride to me. Just look up. I promise there's no blood."

Frightened, Watanuki slowly complied. He looked around tentatively, as if afraid something would jump out at him. He looked at the wall and this time he didn't see blood. He merely saw a reddish stain that could have been anything from faded paint to water damage. But it wasn't blood.

Watanuki's cheeks immediately turned bright red. It was embarrassing enough to have to be saved by Domeki. AGAIN. It was even worse, however, when the threat was imaginary. The icing on the cake was that Akira had seen it as well.

'_All that fear for nothing. I mean I'm glad it wasn't blood, but it's so humiliating to have this happen.', _Watanuki thought.

"C'mon look at me, Watanuki. Don't worry about it. You shouldn't feel bad because you made a mistake. Anyone could have done it." Domeki said.

Watanuki glared up at Domeki. His expression having changed from embarrassment to anger in a flash. That was probably Domeki's intention, though.

"Yeah, well, if that's the case why am I the one who always gets into these situations!?", Watanuki screamed before he blinked and took in Domeki's face in a little more detail, "Hey your face is all bruised! Did something happen? Are you alright?"

Watanuki looked over to Akira who was attempting to hide his injuries with little success.

"You too Akira! Hey, wait. You two didn't fight did you!? Please tell me you didn't hurt each other too badly."

Akira was hoping Watanuki wouldn't notice as he still felt incredibly guilty over hurting Domeki. He shifted his weight a few times and sighed loudly, but didn't begin explaining his banged up face. This left Domeki to tell the story.

"The feather made Akira… unreasonable. He attacked me. My face had been bruised before I really had time to defend myself. He managed to shove me to the ground, but I lashed out with a kick and hit his leg. He started to try to attack me again, so I quickly got up and I punched him in the face. Which managed to snap him out of it.", Domeki stated rather matter-of-factly.

"That sound about right?", Domeki asked, looking over towards Akira.

Akira nodded with shame written on his face, as he added to the conversation, "Yeah, that sounds accurate. The end result was two rather damaged faces, two pronounced limps, and an arm injury on Domeki."

Watanuki nodded thoughtfully. All things considered, the damage hadn't been too bad. After all, both of the boys were still able to run and had enough energy to look after him.

"Well, no use hanging around here anymore! Let's go get that last feather shard!," Watanuki cheerfully exclaimed, having apparently bounced back from his horrific encounter.

Watanuki began to get up from Domeki's hold. He considered shouting at the oafish friend of his, but decided against it, as Domeki had only been trying to help. However, Watanuki wasn't able to get out of his friends arms before Akira interrupted.

"Actually…", Akira began, "There's one other thing we need to talk about before we confront this girl."

"What is it?", Watanuki asked with curiosity.

"Just before we ran in here I had a vision. It was similar to the feelings I sometimes get, but different too. And much more vivid."

Domeki was the one to ask the obvious question, "What did you see?"

"I saw Watanuki die."

Domeki's arms, still wrapped around Watanuki protectively, noticeable tightened. The young man in question, though, was too busy with his own shock to notice.

'_I die?', _Watanuki thought, with a calm that was uncharacteristic of him.

"To be specific, I saw the result of a future where Domeki and I did NOT come into this house. That decision started a chain of events that led to your death, Watanuki.", Akira explained.

"How did it happen?", Watanuki asked with no emotion in his voice.

"That I do not know." Akira answered, "I saw Domeki and myself walk away from the house, and also an image of you on the ground, not moving. Your neck was twisted at an unnatural angle and there were shards of glass all around you, as well as broken pieces of wood. That, among other things, is what I saw."

"Think that we can assume from the broken neck and shards of glass, that you died from a fall of some distance.", Domeki theorized.

Watanuki nodded in agreement, before turning to Akira and questioning him again, "You said 'among other things'. What other things did you see?"

Akira shifted nervously before acknowledging Watanuki's question in a voice barely over a whisper, "As bad as seeing your dead body was, I saw even worse things."

Watanuki's eyes widened in shock. Domeki's arms again tightened around Watanuki's body, which did not escape his notice this time. Watanuki looked up with some surprise, but Domeki was looking straight at Akira with his mouth clenched in what Watanuki assumed was some suppressed emotion. Despite being aware of Watanuki's gaze, Domeki made no move to look at the teen in his arms. It irritated Watanuki slightly, but not enough to interrupt Akira.

"It was horrible." Akira continued, "Watanuki's soul left his body. This left the feather fragment in complete control of his actions. The feather, however, had no conscious thought, and certainly no sense of right and wrong. It wanted to be reunited with its other parts, and the fastest way to do that was to kill the people they were inhabiting."

It dawned on Watanuki what that meant. His pride would be responsible for the deaths of all the people he cared about.

Akira's voice wavered, but kept talking, "It walked up to Himawari's room and fired a green beam of energy into her chest. It didn't do any damage to her body, but it apparently killed her. She went down with barely a movement. The feather flew out of her body and into Watanuki's, which caused it to gain power."

"It moved with unnatural speed until it caught up with Domeki and myself. At first we thought it was Watanuki, but quickly realized our error. It fired that green beam at Domeki, but I managed to push him out of the way, causing it to hit my left arm. The feeling inside it vanished. Domeki made some sort of spirit arrow and fired it at the monster, successfully hitting it. It was, however, only enough to wound it. I forced Domeki to go on without me and get help."

By this point Akira had tears streaming down his face and was sobbing noisily every now and then, but managed to not let it interfere with his telling of the future. Watanuki was also crying, though silently. While Domeki's face seemed to tighten with each revelation.

"I managed to dodge the first several blasts of energy, but the monster recovered from Domeki's attack and hit me in the leg. I tried to move out of the way of the next blast, but it caught me in the gut anyway. I… died. The feather piece in my body joined the other two. Watanuki's body was now floating in the air and he had glowing pink lines all over his body.", Akira cried.

"It flew straight to Yuko's shop where the witch had only just come up with a plan. Unfortunately the quick arrival of their enemy surprised them. The Ame-Warashi and Zashiki-Warashi took to the air as a decoy for Yuko's plan. The monstrosity killed them easily, but not before Yuko managed to remove the feathers from herself, Domeki, and Kohane. They were absorbed by Watanuki's body. While they were busy assembling themselves inside Watanuki, Yuko used her power to obliterate the body. Leaving only a single glowing feather in its place."

Akira finished the story of the grim future with a sigh. He was glad to be done reliving the horror that he'd experienced on his own. Domeki looked down at the boy in his arms and seemed to almost read his thoughts.

"Calm down. That future was the result of us not coming to save you, and so we are already on the path to a different future," Domeki stated logically.

Watanuki didn't answer, and merely added his own thoughts, "Now we know the cost of failure. If any one of us dies, we all die. Let's make sure to protect each other."

Both Akira and Domeki exchanged looks at Watanuki's unusually calm attitude. The teen should be freaking out right now, but he wasn't. Neither of his friends knew how to address this issue, though, and so remained silent about it.

"Domeki! You can let go now!", Watanuki shouted in a manner more common to him.

Both of his friends breathed a sigh of relief as Domeki released Watanuki from his somewhat intimate grasp.

Watanuki stood up and started to go up the steps. He stopped, turned back, and smiled.

"Let's go you guys!", He said with a smile, "I know we aren't in the best position right now, but with me leading the two of you, we can't go wrong!"

The two men not on the stairs opened their mouths in disbelief, before both rolled their eyes and smiled back. Neither responded to Watanuki's comments, not wanting to send him into a fit of pride. The trio walked up the stairs and onto the ground floor.

They quickly located the stairs leading up the second story and immediately started to ascend them, hoping to end the upcoming confrontation quickly. Despite Watanuki's earlier bravado he was starting to feel anxious.

'_Being afraid to die is one thing, but to have to fear the consequences is another! None of us can die, or we'll face pain worse than simply death.", _Watanuki panicked internally.

The slight faltering of Watanuki's steps prompted Domeki to offer some advice, "If you want, Watanuki, you can wait downstairs for us to take care of her. No one will think less of you, especially after hearing what Akira had to say."

Watanuki's pride wouldn't even let him consider it.

"No thanks.", he said frostily before continuing his climb up the stairs.

The three reached the top of the stairs and looked around. There was only one door was closed, and upon further investigation, none of the other doors led into Himawari's room.

Watanuki stood in front of the door. The opening of which could theoretically lead to his death. After a brief moment of hesitation he opened the door cautiously.

From where he was standing Watanuki could see a bed covered in stuff animals directly in front of him. The sheets were pink and so were the walls. Had the situation been different Watanuki might have rejoiced the fact that he was entering his crush's room, but the situation was dire and the stakes were high, so he only felt fear. The room was as tidy as the house, and he was loathe to enter it.

There was, however, few other options so he did. He stood in the direct center of the room and looked around for his female friend. He was standing next to the bed and was equidistant from a closet painted pink and a window which was on the opposite wall.

Just as Akira, followed by Domeki, entered the room, some movement was heard.

"GET OUT!", Himawari screamed as she burst from the closet.

She ran straight at the first human she saw, which happened to be Watanuki. Akira saw that she was trying to attack him and reflexively reached his arm out to try and stop her. The arm that got in her way threw her balance off and made her shove to Watanuki's chest less powerful, but it still sent him stumbling back towards the window.

'_Wait. Isn't the second story of a house pretty high up? And aren't windows made out of glass and wood? …Crap. THIS is how I die! You've GOT to be kidding me!', _Watanuki reflected in the space of a second or two.

Luckily, the force of Himawari's push was diminished enough to slow falling over towards the window. It wasn't much, but it was enough time for Domeki to grab hold of Watanuki's arm and yank him into a bear hug.

"You just always have to make me worry about you, don't you?", Domeki said with a gentle smile on his face.

"D-Domeki…", Watanuki stuttered.

Akira coughed to get the other two's attention, "I hate to break up this love fest or whatever, but we have bigger thing to worry about at the moment!"

Watanuki almost exploded at the words 'love fest', but held it in. Just barely. Himawari was apparently not done with trying to force the three of them away from her. Domeki grabbed Watanuki and dragged him behind himself and Akira to give him more protection.

"Go away! I don't want you here! All I ever do is cause people pain and suffering. If I have to hurt you to show you that, then that's just what I'll do!", Himawari screamed.

All three were shocked at her words. Akira had never met her before, but he had assumed from Domeki and Watanuki's descriptions of her that she was a calm peaceful girl that would never hurt anyone. Right now she hardly looked human, and something in her eyes told him that she would kill to be left alone. The other two were shocked for similar reasons.

When she suddenly rushed them, all three scrambled to move out of the way. Akira dove to the right while Domeki flung both himself and Watanuki backwards onto the bed. Himawari didn't stop there. She again charged Watanuki, attempting to reach him on the bed. Although Domeki didn't want to hurt her, he really had no choice when she was threatening his special person.

He opted for a hard shove, as opposed to a hit. Himawari was no match for Domeki's strength and flew to the other side of the room where she hit her dresser. Hard. She collapsed and didn't move. Akira, Domeki, and Watanuki all cautiously approached the fallen girl. If she was dead, things were about to get dicey.

'_Please, please, please be alive! Not just for my sake, but also because I like you and don't want Domeki to be a murderer.', _Watanuki wished.

Thankfully, she was still breathing, though there was no telling when she'd wake up and attack them again. Upon realizing that she wasn't dead, Watanuki collapsed to the ground. Domeki immediately tried to pick him back up, but Watanuki waved him off.

"Ha ha ha, there's no need to worry! I just fell is all!", Watanuki laughed.

He tried to stand up, but found he couldn't. When he tried a few seconds later and nothing had changed, he looked fearfully up at Akira and Domeki.

"Don't panic.", Domeki soothed, "You haven't eaten since lunch, you've been running around all over since this afternoon, and to describe the day as an emotional roller coaster would probably be an understatement. You'll be fine, you just need a little time to recover."

Watanuki accepted that without argument. He was feeling rather tired, after all.

"In the mean time," Akira started, "what do we do with her?"

The group turned and looked at Himawari, who seemed so peaceful asleep.

Domeki had already thought of that, "We need to get her to the shop as soon as possible. I'm sorry, Watanuki, but we can't wait for you to get your feet back under you, we need to go right now."

"I know, I'm not a child. How will we leave when two of us can't walk, though?", Watanuki posed the question to the room.

Domeki leaned in close to Watanuki with what could only be described as a leer on his face, "That's simple."

Without waiting for Watanuki to respond, Domeki scooped him up into his arms. Easily lifting the light boy into the air. One of his arms was under Watanuki's legs, while the other was bracing the boy's shoulders. Akira caught on quickly and picked up Himawari and unceremoniously draped her over his right shoulder.

"Y-You're carrying me out like this!? I don't think so! At least carry me piggy back or how Akira is Himawari, I am NOT a bride!", Watanuki screamed, seemingly livid.

"It's easier to carry you like this if you're going to be struggling.", Domeki offered in explanation as to why Himawari got the slightly more desirable carrying style.

This didn't go over well who offered his most colorful string of curse words. He kept this up as they went down the staircase and even as the exited the house.

"You know, Watanuki, for someone who is complaining so much about the way you are being carried, you sure do have your arms wrapped tight around Domeki's neck.", Akira slyly commented with a smile.

Watanuki had apparently not noticed this and turned bright red. Domeki had, of course, been acutely aware when Watanuki had draped his arms around his neck, but he wasn't about to complain.

"Sh-Shut up! This is just for balance! As if I'd ever put my arms around this guy's neck if I had any other choice!", Watanuki deflected, his face painted red.

Akira made no comment and merely followed Domeki on their way to Yuko's with his trademark smile. He enjoyed watching the interplay between the shouting teen and the stoic one. He was especially interested when at some point Watanuki began kicking in annoyance with his position, suggesting he could stand on his own.

He never asked to be let down.

* * *

A/N- Phew, that was tough to write. I bet a bunch of you were surprised at the blood part, right? Believe it or not, that's what I planned to do from the get-go! I'm sorry if the part about Akira's vision didn't sit well with some people, but I needed to raise the stakes. The scene in Himawari's bedroom is very, VERY loosely based on a scene from the movie "Hide and Seek". Quick shout out to who (albeit jokingly) suggested the end of this chapter.

BTW, I'm running out of chapter title ideas, so any help you could provide on that front would be helpful. All it has to do is start with the name of the fic (Out) and then end in something that makes sense (ex. Of money). Your help is appreciated!

Review answering time!

EchizenRyomaLover- Yeah it was a cliffhanger, but this chapter resolved it nicely. I love Watanuki too, so at the very least, he'll probably end up alive at the end. (I'm not promising anything other than that, though!)

- You had an interesting theory, unfortunately there was a small anti-climax when I decided to not have there be blood at all. Watanuki's weakened abilities, Kohane's attitude, and Akira's enhanced power will all be explained a bit later on. When you originally posted your comment about being carried out of the house bridal style, I thought it was pretty funny, but the more I thought about it the more I started to think "Hey, this could really work!" So thanks for the idea, I think that's my favorite part of this fic so far!

James Birdsong- I'm glad you think so.

asagohan-no-bento- Ah ha ha, that's a good thing, seeing as that is what I was going for. Yeah I made it seem like there was something horrible down there when it was really just a stain. Domeki got to be a hero anyway, though so I figured it was all good. (I wanted something dramatic in the basement, but I didn't want Himawari to seriously injure anyone, so this is how it turned out.) Please do let me know when the pic is colored.


	8. Of This World

A/N- Time to get rid of those dammed feathers! Of course, you can't get anything without a price being paid. What will happen to our heroes? You can bet that it'll keep you entertained! (I meant to sound cool, but I think I just ended up sounding like a commercial…) FYI, there will be a note in this chapter which will designated with italics, please don't confuse it for Watanuki's thoughts.

Disclaimer- Let's all take a moment and be glad that the ladies at Clamp came up with the idea for xxxHolic and its sister series Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, and not myself. Cause I can barely draw at all.

Parings- Watanuki/Domeki as always!

Warning- If you haven't had a problem with the other seven chapters, this one should pose no new problems for you, unless you haven't realized what the pairing is yet.

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Chapter 8- Of This World

The trio of conscious people and Himawari reached Yuko's shop under the best of circumstances. No ghosts had delayed them, Watanuki, though very vocal, kept his physical struggling to a minimum, and, best of all, Himawari hadn't woken up yet. In this manner, they arrived at the house of the famed witch.

Domeki let Watanuki down and they started to enter, glad that the difficult part of their journey had come to an end. All that was left was to get Yuko to remove the feathers, and then they could all get on with their lives.

Upon entering the house they were greeted by the sounds of crying, and someone desperately trying to calm the crying person down. Watanuki figured that must be the Zashiki-warashi and the Ame-warashi. What was surprising was that Yuko hadn't greeted them. Usually she was standing at the door, either grinning like a fool, or looking scarily serious about something or other.

"Hello? Yuko!", Watanuki shouted, even as he and his friends made their way towards the sounds of crying.

Watanuki broke the threshold of the room and his eyes were immediately drawn to the crying girl and her worried looking friend. The Ame-warashi looked up at his arrival with relief.

"Were you successful?", she asked.

Watanuki nodded his head as Domeki entered the room, followed by Akira and the still unconscious Himawari. Akira gently laid her down on the floor. Watanuki took a quick look around the room and saw Kohane sitting in a corner of the room. She was apparently going to be as cold to everyone as she had been lately. Watanuki was sad but not distraught, because he knew it was the feather's influence.

Watanuki looked around for Yuko, but at first he couldn't see her. He was starting to panic a little when the Ame-warashi sighed and gestured towards the couch Yuko always used. He looked hard and saw that Yuko was indeed sprawled out on it, apparently taking a nap.

All three boys were shocked at her lack of concern, but Watanuki was especially so. It took a minute or so of staring before something clicked in the minds of both Domeki and Akira.

"Oh, so that's what it is!", Akira exclaimed.

"Yes. That seems to be the case.", Domeki agreed.

Watanuki looked back and forth between the two, expecting one or the other to explain things to him. Neither noticed.

"HELLO! Hey, hi, confused person standing right over here!", Watanuki's loud shouting overpowered the crying of the girl crouched on the floor near the wall, "What are you two talking about.

Akira smiled and explained, "It's Ms. Yuko's feather, Watanuki. It seems that it is making her exceptionally lazy."

Watanuki blinked.

'_Like she even needed THAT enhanced! It was already at it's maximum level!', _Watanuki joked to himself.

"Yeah, I guess that sounds like Yuko, but how do you know it's laziness and not just sleepiness?", Watanuki asked with curiosity.

"Well…", Akira started then faltered. He smiled and simply spread his arms a bit, indicating that Watanuki should observe the room a little more closely.

For one, it seemed that the ground was littered with wrappers, plastic coverings, and other pieces of garbage. The other rooms of the house were darkened, while the one Watanuki was standing in was brightly lit. He probably would have noticed other signs about the room, but Maru and Moro chose that moment to enter. Listless was probably the best way to describe them.

"Hello…."

"Watanuki…", they combo greeted him, displaying none of their usual energy.

Watanuki was taken aback, and had to comment on their unusual behavior, "What's up with you two?"

"They're obviously being affected by the witch, seeing as they are so closely connected with her. You need to start making these connections for yourself.", Domeki supplied.

Everyone in the room thought Watanuki was going to pop a blood vessel, he looked so irritated. He managed to suppress his anger, however, and made his way over to Yuko's sleeping form. He grabbed her by the shoulders and proceeded to shake her violently.

"We don't have time for you to be sleeping! Wake up, damn you! If I could do it myself I would, but I can't so WAKE UP!", Watanuki screamed, still shaking the sleeping witch.

With a groan and a stretch, Yuko slowly started to join the land of the living. She looked at Watanuki, then the other five people plus Maru and Moro, and immediately tried to go back to sleep. Watanuki wasn't going to allow that, though.

"Oh no you don't! You are staying up and removing these feathers before they kill us all!" Watanuki shouted.

Yuko sat up and blinked sleepily. She yawned and made herself more comfortable on the couch. She took her sweet time in answering.

"Even if I wanted to, it's dangerous to remove them without certain conditions being met.", She said with her eyes mostly closed.

"What are the conditions?", Akira asked.

Yuko was apparently too tired or too lazy to notice that a total stranger was addressing her in her own home, because she answered with only a little hesitation.

"The shards are bonded to our souls somewhat, so our souls have to reject them in order to make the removal as safe as possible. All we should have to do is fight the symptoms of the feather fragments and I should be able to remove them easily. Can I go to sleep now?", Yuko whined.

"NO!" Was the chorus heard coming out of the mouths of the Ame-warashi, Domeki, Akira, and, of course, Watanuki.

"I don't know what you mean by 'fight the symptoms'. Can you show us?", Watanuki asked, his voice more now coaxing as opposed to angry.

Yuko opened one eye, looked at him, and said, "Fine. But you'll owe me later."

Yuko stood up, thrust her hands out before her as if to beg for money, and channeled magic power into the air. Slowly but steadily, a small transparent orb began to form above her hands. After the orb was formed, Yuko did something very strange. She started doing jumping jacks. She only did about five before a feather shard came flying out of her and into the orb.

"There you have it Watanuki. Find a way to get each person to combat their feather and everything goes more or less back to normal. Fail and be forever stuck with your feather. Oh, and if you take too long, that orb will shatter, and there's no telling what the unstable fragments of the feather will do. Good luck!"

Watanuki was on one hand dumbfounded that Yuko would just hand over all the responsibility like that, but on the other hand the pride in him was welling up at the opportunity to fix all the problems by himself. He looked around the room for the person that he should help first. His gaze landed on the Zashiki-warashi.

Her fragment was causing her sadness. Watanuki thought quickly on something that could make her happy, and smiled.

"Everyone wait right here!", Watanuki yelled cheerfully as he bounded for the kitchen.

Yuko, Akira, and Domeki all exchanged a glance. It seemed that Watanuki was pretty far gone.

* * *

The people still left in the room remained silent as Watanuki rushed to the kitchen and began making something or other. This silence was soon broken by Yuko.

"Well, now that Mr. Pride is gone I think introductions are in order! Who is this fine young man with the power to hear spirits?", Yuko began.

"Oh, me? Name's Akira Kisaragi. I suppose I'm now a friend of Watanuki and Domeki's. I'm in your hands.", Akira supplied brightly.

Yuko returned his smile easily before replying, "Yes. Yes you are. Now if I'm not mistaken you are feeling a bit angry right now yes?"

Akira opened his mouth, but before he could say anything-

"No need to reply, I already know I'm right. Now, we should remove your feather before Watanuki returns. I need you to sit down."

Akira did as he was told, though he was feeling a bit uneasy. Every now and then he could hear the quiet sounds of crying and the indistinguishable voice of someone trying to comfort it. He looked over to where the Zashiki-warashi was crying, but saw nothing.

"Don't worry about her, she's harmless for now.", Yuko stated, "Now sit cross legged and clear your mind."

Akira adjusted his sitting position. He closed his eyes and started breathing deeply, attempting to remove all thoughts from his head. The room was quiet, with only the soft crying of the Zashiki-warashi and faint noises from the kitchen. Nothing happened for several minutes, but Akira must have been able to clear his mind for a shining feather fragment flew into the orb, making two sevenths of a whole feather.

Watanuki chose this exact moment to enter. He was wearing the apron Himawari had given him for his birthday, and was carrying some sort of confection on a tray. It seemed to be a cream puff. He glanced at Akira, who was still sitting on the ground cross legged. He then saw the glowing feather piece. It was noticeably larger.

"Yuuuuko!", he whined, "You were supposed to wait for me!"

"Is this really the time?", Domeki asked.

Watanuki turned towards him and spat out with venom, "I don't recall asking you!"

Walking over to the Zashiki-warashi quickly, Watanuki missed Domeki's disappointed frown. He leaned over the crying girl and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up into the eyes of her crush and immediately looked away. She started crying even harder and refused to meet his eyes. Watanuki sighed with frustration, but maintained a happy face.

"Hey, remember when I got you a birthday present, and I said I had wanted to make it food?"

She nodded slightly.

"Well, now that we're here together… I thought it would be a good time to make you this.", he said with a smile on his face.

She looked up at the pastry hesitantly, as if she were afraid it would bite her.

"O-Okay.", she said fearfully.

She took the cream puff from the tray and held it in her hands. She looked up hesitantly at Watanuki, who nodded. She looked at her friend the Ame-warashi who did the same. She took a small bite of the dessert. Her eyes widened, and everyone in the room was afraid she was going to start crying even harder than before.

What she did though, was smile and say, "It's good!"

With that a feather piece flew out from her body and into the orb, which now seemed to be shimmering with power. Watanuki walked over to the ball and noticed that parts of the glass seemed to be developing small fractures.

'_Three down and four to go," _Watanuki thought_, 'but it looks like I'm running out of time."_

He made his way over to Kohane to try to reason with her, but Yuko stopped him before he could.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about her, Watanuki.", Yuko interrupted, "Kohane, could you approach the orb please?"

Kohan shrugged and stood up. She completely ignored Watanuki and instead focused on the partially complete feather. She got fairly close to it when her feather fragment flew out of her body and merged with the other three, leaving everyone except Yuko and Kohane dumbfounded.

"Um, Yuko? What just happened?", Watanuki questioned.

"Oh Watanuki, isn't it obvious?", Yuko teased mercilessly, "Kohane was fighting the symptoms the whole time, but to do so she had to lock away her personality the whole time. When she was hit with the feather she immediately realized what was going to happen and became an emotionless shell and waited for you."

"It's true Kimihiro. I was locked deep within myself, but I knew you would save me.", Kohane spoke. Her first words of the night.

He was about to say something to her, probably about how glad he was that she was okay, when he heard a small feminine groan and shifting around. He quickly turned around and saw that Himawari was waking up. He rushed over to her side and wrapped his arms around her waist. After a moment of shock, she started struggling.

"Wha-? Watanuki!? Get off me! I don't want to see you or anyone ever again!", she shouted unreasonably.

"No!", Watanuki argued, "You're my friend and I can't leave you alone!"

"If you stay near me, I'll only cause you pain!", she countered.

"I don't care about that! I care about YOU! Me and Domeki don't mind the risks because being with you is worth them. Please, please, PLEASE don't shut yourself away from us!", Watanuki cried.

The room went still. Himawari stopped struggling. She seemed to consider what Watanuki had said. Finally, she stood up and looked straight into the eyes of both Watanuki and Domeki.

"I knew it. You're both fools. But fine, if I mean THAT much to you both then fine. I'll allow you to stay near me. But don't blame me when it doesn't work out!", Himawari sighed.

Her feather piece floated silently and joined the other four shards in the orb, which was now looking positively decrepit for all the cracks and fissures that marred its surface. Yuko decided that this was the time to say something.

"Alright," she announced, "everyone except Watanuki and Domeki, out! They're gonna need some privacy for this one!"

Everyone blinked, but they started to shuffle out of the room and outside onto the porch. Domeki and Watanuki silently watched as everyone slowly filtered out. Just as everyone had left, Yuko poked her head back in.

"And here's a hint for you both!", she giggled, "Two birds with one stone! Got it? See ya!"

She left without waiting to hear their reactions to her cryptic comment. It seemed to be perfectly clear to Domeki, though. He was blushing and avoiding Watanuki's gaze. It was so obvious that Watanuki couldn't even muster up enough energy to be irritated with him.

"Well, what is it? What do we have to do?", Watanuki said with no tonal inflection.

"Watanuki… about my feather fragment…", Domeki began.

Watanuki nodded, indicating that he should continue.

"It's… drawing up my feelings for you… my romantic feelings for you and making it harder to resist them," Domeki started slowly, blush not leaving his face, "I think I have to do something to you to get rid of both of our feathers and I believe that Yuko knew that. Please don't hate me for what I'm about to do."

Without waiting for Watanuki's reaction to his confession, Domeki all but tackled him to the ground. Watanuki tried to scuttle backwards out of instinct, but was held down fast by Domeki. Domeki leaned over Watanuki's body and used his right hand to remove his glasses, while still holding him with his left.

"What are you doing!? This is assault! Let me go!", Watanuki shouted fearfully.

"You don't get it yet? I know you are a bit naïve but this is something else", Domeki replied.

"Yeah well sorry that I don't know what people are planning on doing when they pin me to the ground!", Watanuki screeched with sarcasm.

Watanuki's further protests were cut off by Domeki's face leaning in. The trapped teen's breath quickened as Domeki got closer and closer. His eyes were closed but he seemed to be completely serious. Their lips connected.

Watanuki's eyes widened considerably and he gasped, which allowed Domeki to slip his tongue in. As much as he wanted to fight the oaf on top of him, Watanuki found himself closing his eyes and responding to the kiss.

'_It's weird, but not that bad I guess. Haaaa, that doesn't sound like me at all,' _Watanuki told himself.

Domeki was encouraged by Watanuki's participation in the kiss, as he hadn't expected it at all. He moved his tongue more vigorously against Watanuki's before he had to come up for air. Amidst the heavy panting from both parties, Domeki leaned down and almost kissed Watanuki again, but he stopped himself.

"I know it's… hard for you to accept help, but I want to be there for you through everything. Will you let me?" Domeki stated, still panting.

Watanuki was still recovering from the kiss he hadn't been expecting. He thought about getting angry or upset, but Domeki's words were filled with sincerity and Watanuki wasn't cruel enough to dismiss them. He didn't like the fact that he might need help sometimes, but he supposed that if it was Domeki then it would be alright.

"Okay, sure Domeki. You can be there for me." Watanuki agreed, before adding a stern, "Some of the time!"

His feather left his body and he immediately felt less prideful. He was willing to accept help now, but he barely noticed it. This was because Domeki had started leaning in again, presumably for another kiss. He stopped and shuddered. Domeki looked at the boy beneath him with a lot of emotion in his eyes, but managed to roll off him before he did anything else. His feather joined the others in the orb, which shattered. The feather was now complete.

Hearing the orb break, everyone came racing back into the room, fearing the worst. Smiles greeted the faces of most of the people entering the room as they saw a complete feather and two panting boys. They put two and two together.

"Good job you two, especially Domeki! We all knew you had willpower, but that was downright impressive!", Yuko slyly stated.

"Well said Ms. Yuko," Akira agreed, "you two had us worried, but Ms. Yuko was certain you would pull through."

"Now there are just one or two more things to take care of.", Yuko added.

Every single head in the room twisted with uncanny quickness towards the witch. Everyone had the same thought on their minds.

'_It's not over yet!?'_

"Oh, don't give me that look! It's not as bad as all that!", Yuko said, trying to defend herself.

"Mokona! Oi, Mokona!", She called.

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen Mokona around since this whole thing began. What gives?", Watanuki commented.

Yuko looked a little guilty at this and responded, "In my laziness, Mokona's energy was irritating me. I sent Mokona away and said to only come back when I called."

Even as she said this Mokona was bounding down the stairs at a break-neck pace. The ball of fluff slammed into Watanuki's stomach, almost causing the wind to be knocked out of him. Watanuki stumbled back a bit, but Domeki was quick to steady him.

"You called Yuko? Mokona is here to save the day!", Mokona shouted.

"Ah, there you are Mokona," Yuko greeted, "I need you to send a letter and an item to Syaoran's group. Can you do that?"

"Sure, it's a piece of cake!"

Yuko grabbed the feather and placed it two her side, where it floated. She fished out a pen and pad from who knows where. She started writing a quick note, but didn't get far before she grew frustrated. The witch thought for a moment and then quickly finished writing out the letter.

"Send this to them right now, Mokona. Along with this feather." Yuko ordered.

Mokona's mouth opened and in flew both the note and the feather, disappearing instantly, but not before Watanuki saw the note. It said:

_Dear Syaoran, Sakura, Kurogane, and (_here there were several crossed out words) _Mr. Flowright,_

_The feather shard you see has been found by my employee Watanuki. We'll discuss payment for handing it over to you at a later date._

_Love,_

_Yuko_

"Stupid wizard! I can never remember if his name is spelled Fai, Fye, or Fay! He should change it to something easier!", Yuko ranted.

Watanuki didn't really care about how the wizard's name was spelled. He looked around the room and saw the smiling face of his friends, who were laughing at Yuko's antics, and he was happy that things had turned out like this.

"I'm glad it's all over now."

* * *

A/N- What's this? The story isn't marked as complete? That's probably because it isn't. Out still has a story or two left in it. Small joke at the end regarding Fai's name, which often gets spelled differently. Seriously though, my face was red the entire time I wrote that one scene. You know the one! I've never written anything like that, so I'd appreciate feedback on it. One last thing, thank you everyone who reviewed, but especially those who gave me chapter title ideas! I'll probably use them in the near future.

Review answering time!

- Yeah those guys will be appreciative, but who knows if we'll hear about what they have to do to pay Yuko off? You are exactly right about the movie, I really like it! I should be thanking you for the idea! I'll just spoil this right now: Himawari and Akira will NOT be getting together. Himawari will still be present in the fic, but Akira is going to be phased out.

asagohan-no-bento- Yeah Watanuki's reactions are definitely the most entertaining to watch. I loved his spazzing in the show. Thanks for the suggestions!

James Birdsong- Thanks for your suggestions, one of them gave me an idea for an entire chapter! Which one? You'll just have to keep reading to see! How did you like this chapter?

EchizenRyomaLover- I didn't want the cute Himawari to have killed anyone, so there you go. I'm just glad you're taking the time to READ the story let alone review every chapter! Thanks for your suggestions, I don't know exactly where this is gonna end up, but I'll probably use yours at some point.


	9. Of the Frying Pan Into the Fire

A/N- Alright, the last chapter concluded the "Feather Arc", as I've begun to refer to it in my mind. Time for the second story arc to begin. I have no idea where this is going to go yet so bear with me if the story seems a little choppy! Akira won't be around as much, but he'll be in and out. This chapter takes place immediately after the events of the last one, so if you're fuzzy on the details re-read it. Thanks for your support on the previous chapters, let's finish strong, eh?

Disclaimer- Don't own

Pairings- I think the last chapter made it abundantly clear what the pairing is.

Warnings- None for this chapter. It's pretty tame, even by my standards.

* * *

Chapter 9- Of the Frying Pan Into the Fire

"Over? Oh my dear Watanuki, things are just getting started.", Yuko said in a suddenly serious tone, "We have much to discuss once everyone leaves."

Watanuki stared at her in total shock. He wasn't prepared for her comments. The entire room went silent. The Ame-Warashi and Zashiki-Warashi departed without a word. The latter giving Watanuki a sympathetic look. Himawari and Kohane looked at each other and began to walk towards the front door.

Watanuki, never one to forget his manners, stopped them, saying, "Himawari, Kohane, are you leaving so soon? I think we should celebrate what we've accomplished so far!"

"You shouldn't celebrate something that isn't over, Kimihiro.", Kohane cautioned.

"She's right Watanuki, besides," Himawari agreed, "Yuko seems like she wants to talk right now."

Watanuki looked over towards Yuko who hadn't smiled or spoken since a minute or two ago. She nodded upon hearing Himawari's words. Watanuki gulped, suspecting that things were less than good for him. The two girls gave supportive smiles and left as quickly as they could.

Watanuki looked over at Domeki and Akira, clearly expecting them to leave. Domeki didn't move an inch and stared directly into Watanuki's eyes, giving no indication of movement. Akira smiled widely when Watanuki looked over towards him.

"What?", he asked, even though his smile made it obvious he knew "what".

Watanuki rolled his eyes and turned over to Yuko, who actually had a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I don't think they're going to leave.", Watanuki said.

Yuko smiled widely and answered, "That's fine. I have business with Domeki anyway and if you don't mind either of them hearing what I'm going to tell you then there isn't really a problem."

Watanuki wasted no time in asking a question, "Alright, now what is it that you have to tell me? It seems serious."

"It is. We have to discuss payment.", Yuko said with her usual smile.

There was silence. That is there was silence for two seconds before Watanuki exploded.

"WHAT!? How could I possibly owe you for this!? I mean sure you sent us a letter, and sure you told us how to remove the feathers… and personally removed them… and sent spirits to help us…", Watanuki sputtered as he slowly realized that he might owe Yuko quite a bit.

Domeki looked a little worried, and Akira raised an eyebrow, not yet knowing what exactly to store sold. Watanuki looked downright terrified. At this rate he would probably end up owing Yuko more than the price of his wish!

"I think you have the wrong idea.", Yuko soothed.

Watanuki looked hopeful.

"You don't owe me. I owe YOU.", Yuko explained with a huge smile.

"W-W-What!?", Watanuki stuttered, completely taken aback.

Yuko kept smiling and began explaining again, "To be specific I owe both you AND Domeki."

"How?", Domeki asked in a confused voice.

"That feather,", Yuko started, "is, as I'm sure you've noticed, incredibly powerful. Because of this it is also incredibly valuable. Even though the feather was shattered and you two had to call on my aid to restore it, its value not only covered the costs of repairing it, it far exceeded them. By giving it to me, you two have become rich in the currency of my store, so to speak."

Watanuki was surprised to say the least, but his brain was still working enough to ask a question, "Why Domeki too?"

Yuko looked at Watanuki as he were insane and answered, "Are you thinking straight? If you'd sensed that feather when you were alone, that ghost would have pushed you into traffic and killed you! Not only did Domeki save your life that time, he also allowed you to find it in the first place!"

Watanuki was about to protest about how he would have been fine, when Akira interjected, "Makes sense to me!"

Watanuki shot him a death glare. Akira looked moderately surprised, having never been on the receiving side of Watanuki's anger.

"Fine. Whatever. So me and Domeki can make a really big wish? If so, I just want whatever credit I've accrued to go towards my original wish.", Watanuki requested.

At this Yuko looked down at the floor a little guiltily, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Watanuki."

Watanuki looked angry and annoyed, but mostly disappointed.

"Why not!?", he demanded.

"Unfortunately, we already agreed on your method of payment. That is say, your job at the store is what is paying for your wish. Since you were not on the job when you found the feather I cannot grant your request to put your payment for the feather towards your original wish.", Yuko answered sadly.

Crestfallen, Watanuki looked at the floor and refused to meet anyone's eyes. Both Akira and Domeki saw that he was feeling down and moved to comfort him. Akira placed his left hand on Watanuki's left shoulder, while Domeki had his right hand on Watanuki's right shoulder. This created a semi-hug from both men to the distraught teen.

"T-Thanks you guys. I'm fine now.", Watanuki reassured them.

Yuko began again, "I'm sorry about that Watanuki, but there's really nothing I can do. Look on the bright side though! You can wish for a whole lot with how much you two have earned!"

Watanuki smiled, "I guess that's true. Thank you Yuko."

"Now, think hard… is there anything you really want?", Yuko questioned.

Watanuki thought hard, his thoughts mostly focused of the events of the previous day. It was pretty crazy from start to finish. His mind wandered to some of the high points and some of the low points.

'_So much worry could have been avoided if I had just been able to take care of myself a little better.', _Watanuki mused.

Watanuki took a deep breath to compose himself, believing himself ready to make his wish.

"Yuko. I know what I want.", Watanuki stated firmly.

"What is it, Watanuki? What do you wish for?"

"I wish I could protect myself better! I know that I can't do everything by myself, and I don't want everyone to stop caring about me, but I think I make them worry too much. If I were more self sufficient, a lot of bad things that happened today could have been prevented.", Watanuki explained.

Yuko closed her eyes and smiled softly, "Understood. Your wish will be granted. I can't predict how your new ability to protect yourself will manifest, though."

Watanuki nodded, also smiling.

"That's fine. I'll take what I can get.", Watanuki said amicably.

Yuko, her eyes still closed, summoned some of her power. Strange wisps of power surrounded Watanuki and threaded themselves around him. They formed lines which criss-crossed his entire body. The threads glowed brightly for a few moments before fading, presumably they were entering Watanuki's body.

"Once again I remind you, I don't know how this will help you protect yourself, only that it will.", Yuko explained, "Your new power should be active the next time you wake up after sleeping for at least six hours."

Watanuki nodded in understanding. Yuko then turned to face Domeki.

"You're next, Domeki! What is it, if anything, that you want?", Yuko probed.

Domeki appeared lost in thought, considering the near limitless possibilities.

'_I wonder what he's gonna wish for. … Not that I care.', _Watanuki wondered.

Domeki thought for a moment more before he answered with certainty, "I want the same thing as Watanuki."

Watanuki was momentarily taken aback before he tried to clarify Domeki's statement, "You mean you wish that you could take care of yourself better? To be honest ,I don't think you really need that, you do a good job of that already."

"You misunderstand. When I say I want the same thing I mean EXACTLY the same thing. I wish I was able to protect YOU better, not myself.", Domeki corrected.

"W- What!? What are you thinking!? I don't want you to wish for something like that! Why don't you wish for something better, like money or happiness?", Watanuki shouted.

"Wish accepted!", Yuko announced before Domeki had a chance to respond.

"Yuko, no! I don't want this! I want to be able to take care of myself! I want Domeki to not have to save me so he can be happier!", Watanuki protested.

The room went dead silent. Yuko, Domeki, and Akira looked totally taken by surprise. Watanuki looked completely mortified. He obviously hadn't meant to shout out that last part. Even though he looked embarrassed and uncomfortable with the situation, Watanuki didn't take his words back.

The silence was broken by muffled laughter. It of course came from Akira. He was obviously trying quite hard to cover it up, but wasn't having much luck. His laughing broke much of the tension in the room. Yuko quickly recovered from her shock and had her smile out in full force. While poor Domeki looked a bit flustered.

Akira continued to laugh as he spoke, "I'm sorry, but Watanuki's outburst was pretty funny. I'll just step outside for a minute."

Akira quickly made his way towards the hallway that he'd originally made his entrance through. When he had left Domeki turned to face Watanuki.

"You idiot.", Domeki chastised, "How could I be happy if you were hurt and I could have done something to prevent it? Don't worry, I'm may be making this wish to protect you, but you being safe is the easiest way for me to be happy."

"D-Domeki…", Watanuki stuttered, "That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. It's certainly the nicest thing YOU'VE ever said to me…"

Before Domeki had a chance to reply he was covered in the same threads of power that had seeped into Watanuki. The process repeated itself, with the light emanating from the threads slowly embedding themselves into Domeki. When that was done, both teens turned towards Yuko just as Akira reentered the room.

"It's the same deal for you, Domeki, as it is for Watanuki.", Yuko explained, "Meaning you will receive a power upon awaking after six hours of sleep. It will definitely help you protect your precious Watanuki, but I have no idea how it will do so."

"I think you guys are going to be pretty powerful.", Akira predicted, "Unfortunately, I have to get home. It's been really fun hanging out with you guys. I'm sure we'll meet again. In fact…"

Akira trailed off and rummaged through his pocket. He pulled out a dark blue cell phone.

"I'll give you my cell phone so the three of us can reach each other at any time!", Akira explained, with his bubbly smile.

'_Man, Akira is a really smiley person. I'm surprised how much the feather was affecting his overall mood.', _Watanuki concluded.

Even while he was thinking this, Watanuki looked over to his side to where Domeki was standing. Domeki shook his head in the negative and shrugged his shoulders. Watanuki sighed with annoyance. Akira raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Neither Domeki nor myself have cell phones.", Watanuki explained, "I can't afford one, and I thought Domeki would have one, but apparently he doesn't. I'm sorry."

Akira looked a bit disappointed, but understanding.

"Actually Watanuki, you and Domeki have a little credit left over from your wishes.", Yuko interrupted, "Enough, to say, pay for a cell phone for a few years. Say the word and it's yours."

Watanuki's face erupted with happiness. He looked over to Domeki, who nodded his assent.

"I wish me and Domeki had pre-paid cell phones!", Watanuki shouted exuberantly.

Yuko smiled and made a quick run to the treasure room. When she came back she was holding two cell phones. One was a deep green, and she gave it to Domeki. The other was black, and she presented this one to Watanuki. They were "coincidentally" the same model as Akira's, so he showed them how to use the phones. After that they exchanged numbers, and Akira took off.

He was gone for all to twenty seconds when Watanuki's phone rang. The caller ID said that it was Akira calling. Watanuki answered it, excited to be getting his first call.

"Hey it's Akira Kisaragi, is this Watanuki?", Akira asked.

"Yes. Is there something you needed, Akira?", Watanuki questioned.

Akira paused before answering, "Sort of. I got one of my feelings as I was leaving. I think something good will happen to you if you say 'I'd love to' to the next question you are asked."

"Say 'I'd love to' to the next question someone asks me?" Watanuki repeated.

"Yep. Say 'I'd love to'.", Akira confirmed.

"Ok. I will."

"Promise me you will!"

"Ha ha, fine, I promise! I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Alright. Bye now!"

"Bye."

Watanuki chuckled slightly at the strange call. He ignored the question look of Domeki and the knowing look of Yuko.

"Well it's about… eight o'clock, so why don't I get dinner started?", Watanuki suggested.

"Why don't you eat at the temple instead?", Domeki countered, his face giving away nothing.

Watanuki didn't have time to reply before Yuko intervened, "Mokona and myself already ate while we were waiting for you , Watanuki. The two of you probably have a lot to talk about anyway."

Watanuki gave her a questioning glance, but she didn't acknowledge it.

"So? What do you say?", Domeki asked again.

'_Damn that Akira! I bet he know exactly what the question would be, and made me promise because he knew I'd say no!", _Watanuki seethed internally.

"I'd… love… to…", Watanuki ground out.

Domeki seemed more shocked than he ever had been, while Yuko's smug smile threatened to make Watanuki explode in anger.

"Bye bye, Watanuki! See you tomorrow!", Yuko called cheerily.

Watanuki stopped, moments from leaving the house, and considered this, _'Huh. I thought I was staying at her house tonight. She must be mistaken or confused or something.'_

Domeki held the door open for Watanuki as the pair left. Watanuki nodded his head in thanks. They began the walk to the temple in the cool night air. There was a silence that was somewhere between companionable and awkward. This was mostly because of Watanuki's reluctance to be traveling with Domeki. It was also because of Domeki's usual tendency to say nothing unless absolutely necessary.

They reached the temple without a single word having passed between them. Domeki led the way to a sitting area, where Watanuki assumed Domeki took his meals. Domeki stared at Watanuki expectantly. Watanuki tried to ignore it, but that proved too difficult a task.

"What!? What do you want!?", he shouted nervously.

Domeki responded in a much quieter tone of voice, "I thought you were going to make dinner."

Watanuki immediately protested, "You invite me over and then ask ME to cook!?"

Domeki cocked his head to the side in confusion, "You'd rather eat my cooking?"

With that, Watanuki ran out of steam and couldn't find any words to counter Domeki's semi-logic. Instead of arguing, he walked briskly into the kitchen. The glasses wearing teen immediately started complaining about the lack of ingredients. However, Watanuki eventually found just the right materials to make a simple pan fried fish entrée . The time passed in relative silence, with only the sounds of cooking to break it. Watanuki was beginning to wonder why he was there in the first place.

'_What's with this out of the blue invitation? I mean, I'm the first to admit that I don't read Domeki very well, but this is certainly a surprise. Yuko mentioned having something to talk about, didn't she? Maybe it has something to do with that.', _Watanuki concluded.

In an hour or so, dinner was served and the duo sat down to eat. Dinner went the way most of Watanuki's interactions with Domeki had been lately, that is, silently. It took another half an hour to finish eating in a quiet that threatened to make Watanuki jump up and shout to break it. This, however, proved not to be necessary. Dinner ended and Domeki was quick to speak up.

"Watanuki,", Domeki began seriously, "We have something important to discuss."

'_Finally! I was about to go insane over here!', _Watanuki thought as he internally rolled his eyes.

"It's about what happened between us… you know, at the store?", Domeki explained.

Watanuki turned a deep shade of red and attempted to reassure Domeki, "About that… I don't blame you at all. The feather was controlling you and there was really no other way to get our fragments of it out. I'd be more than happy to just forget the whole incident."

Now it was Domeki's turn to gain some color in his cheeks as he explained further, "While it's true that I never would have… kissed… you without the feather's influence, that isn't exactly what I wanted to talk about."

"If it's not that, then what is it?", Watanuki asked in a confused voice.

"I noticed something about the feathers influence.", Domeki elaborated, "It didn't just create feelings out of nowhere. It took emotions or character traits that were already present and amplified. In other words, your pride, Kunogi's desire to be alone, and my… lust were all there prior to the infection of the feather, just in a manageable amount."

Watanuki considered this and replied with, "What are you trying to say, Domeki?"

Domeki paused before continuing, "I like you. As more than a friend. I want to be with you."

It was one of the few times in Watanuki's life where he couldn't come up with anything to say. Whatever he had been expecting, it hadn't been this. Domeki seemed to take Watanuki's shock in stride and waited patiently for him to snap out of it.

"Y-You like me? ME!?", Watanuki exclaimed.

Domeki nodded.

"Since when?"

"I don't remember exactly. But awhile ago."

Another pause.

"I know this is sudden, and I don't expect you to share my feelings. I would, however, appreciate at least one chance with you. To that end, will you go on a date with me?", Domeki all but blurted out.

Watanuki's first instinct was to shout a resounding "NO!". He might have done this, too, had it not been for vibrations emanating from his pocket. Someone had just sent Watanuki a text. Watanuki, glad for the distraction, opened his phone. The text was from Akira. It had only two words in it.

'_Say yes.'_

Watanuki looked at the text as if he thought it were some kind of trick. The text was indisputably Akira's, though. Besides who even had his number aside from Akira and Domeki? No one, that's who. That said, Watanuki was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn't have much of a desire to go on a date with Domeki, but if Akira said to say yes, then there must be a good reason behind it.

Domeki continued to stare at Watanuki intently for a few minutes. After a time, though, he sighed and began to clean up the remnants of dinner. Domeki assumed that Watanuki's answer would be in the negative column.

"Yes."

Domeki's head snapped with near inhuman speed towards the boy that had spoken that word.

"Say again?", Domeki requested, not trusting his own ears.

"I said… yes."

* * *

A/N- Things are going to heat up between our favorite spirit seeing boys from here on out! I'm actually pretty excited to write the next chapter. Akira will call or text from time to time, but he's going to have very little direct influence in future chapters. I wonder what Watanuki and Domeki's new powers are going to be! I've decided on Watanuki's, but I'm not sure about Domeki's yet.

I guess I'll answer a review or two-

James Birdsong- Glad you liked the last chapter. Hope this one wasn't too boring. It's mostly set up for other plotlines.

EchizenRyomaLover- Ah ha ha, yeah I figured that was her most dominant negative quality. I was laughing while I wrote it actually!

Thank you for your approval! That scene was the most difficult to write. I know the delivery of the confession and kiss was a bit rushed, but as you pointed out the situation called for it. You got a more official confession in this chapter, so I hope that was better! I know the romance was mild, but to be quite frank that was my first time ever writing a scene like that. I'll try to get something longer and more serious in there, but I don't think I'm very good at those situations. In other words, no promises! (Sorry.)

I'm pretty sure it's Fai, but you never know, could be one of the others.


	10. To Lunch

A/N- Ugh, I said I was excited to write the next chapter and here I am, taking like a month's worth of time to finish this… sorry guys. I've been practically marathoning Clannad, an anime that was originally a game by Key. Everything Key does is amazing. Same for Clamp too, but in a different way. Air is still the only anime that has ever brought me to tears and Kanon 2006 is one of my favorites of all time. I recommend you check out the series I mentioned (be warned, they're all romances). So yeah, I got caught up in the story and forgot/couldn't focus on my own. That and my computer died for a few days somewhere in there. Putting that aside, here we go with chapter 10!

Also, Thank you James Birdsong for suggesting the title of this chapter weeks ago!

Pairing/Disclaimer/Warning- They're all the same as usual! (FINALLY thought of a way to be efficient about this!)

* * *

Chapter 10- To Lunch

"So you'll go out with me on a date?", Domeki asked again, clearly not processing the information.

"For the third time yes!", Watanuki exclaimed, a little exasperated. After all how many times do you usually have tell someone the answer they want to hear before they get it?

Domeki took a deep breath, "I just want to clarify something. When I say 'a date' I don't mean some date of the year. May 15th for instance. I mean out on a date as the start of a relationship. Do you know what you're agreeing too?"

"God damn you Domeki! How freaking awkward do you have to make this!? I said yes, so why don't you just accept it!," Watanuki screamed, embarrassed and annoyed. _'Does Domeki really think I'm that stupid, or naïve, or whatever?'_

Domeki lapsed into silence as he realized that Watanuki had agreed to date him, at least once, of his own free will.

"So I figure now that that's settled we should do it.", Domeki said out of the blue.

"W-W-What!?", Watanuki stuttered, face turning red, "I don't think I'm ready for that!"

"Really? That's usually how these things go. First the two people definitely have to do… this and that…", Domeki mused then trailed off with a faraway look in his eyes, oblivious to Watanuki's crimson face.

"This and… that?", Watanuki squeaked, face a flaming red.

"uh huh.", Domeki confirmed, still not paying attention to Watanuki, "And then you do THAT, and then that other thing."

"Okay I don't where you're getting these ideas, buster, but I'm simply not ready to do that with you!", Watanuki protested, finally sticking up for himself.

Domeki looked a bit confused, "Oh, sorry. I thought you wouldn't mind planning our date, getting to know one another, and spending time together."

Watanuki turned around and intentionally slammed his head into a wall as punishment for jumping to conclusions. Domeki immediately leapt up and began to trot over to his side, but Watanuki turned around and raised a hand to stop his approach. Watanuki pinched the bridge of his nose, adjusting his glasses in the process.

"Those things…", Watanuki began, "All those things are fine. I thought you were referring to something else when you were talking before."

Domeki smirked, "Is that so? Just what did you think I was referring to?"

Watanuki blushed again and tried to sidestep the question, "Nothing important! Anyway it's your fault for being so vague."

"So I'm safe in assuming that your mind was in the gutter?", Domeki said with that half smile that Watanuki could only just barely see. It irritated him to no end.

"No you are NOT safe in assuming that!", Watanuki protested.

"Gutter, gutter, gutter.", Domeki intoned in a somewhat disapproving voice.

Domeki got the expected effect of a furious Watanuki. Watanuki started throwing anything and everything that was within reach. During this bout of anger, two miracles occurred. 1: Domeki managed to dodge everything that was thrown at him. 2: Watanuki failed to grab anything breakable or glass. This comical event was only stopped when Watanuki tried to throw a phone that was attached to a cord.

The phone went as far as the cord would allow, and then came back full force towards Watanuki's face. With no time dodge, Watanuki simply took the hit and went down. He laid against the wall with his eyes closed for some time. When he opened them he saw Domeki looming above him.

"Truce?", Watanuki offered.

"If this was a war I'd have already won, making your truce useless, but… fine. Truce.", Domeki accepted.

"I'll get a futon out so you have a place to sleep.", Domeki continued.

"What are you talking about?", Watanuki questioned, "I'm staying over at Yuko's."

"What are YOU talking about?", Domeki countered, "She even said as we were leaving that she'd see you tomorrow. Obviously she knew that you'd be staying here."

Watanuki had to admit that it made sense, "Alright. You win."

Watanuki followed Domeki to what appeared to be a guest bedroom right next to Domeki's. It was a fairly large room, but it didn't have any furniture to speak of. Just a closet and the futon.

"You can take a shower if you like, and I'll wash your clothes so you can wear them tomorrow.", Domeki suggested.

Watanuki almost rejected the idea of showering at Domeki's place, especially after what just happened between them but rethought it. After all, the day had been stressful to say the least, and a shower actually sounded pretty good right then.

"Sure, sounds good.", Watanuki agreed.

Watanuki stepped into the bathroom and disrobed. He managed to hand Domeki his clothes with a minimum of awkwardness. The bathroom was actually quite nice. It had a shower that could also be used as a bathtub if one wanted. The other furnishings weren't fancy, but they served their purpose. Watanuki opted for a quick shower, just in case Domeki wanted to take one too.

Watanuki turned on the shower, adjusted the heat to his liking, and hopped in. While he was washing there was a knock on the door.

"Ah, what is it Domeki?", Watanuki called.

Domeki answered quickly, "Your clothes won't be washed before you're done with your shower, so I'm leaving you a robe on the outside door handle."

"That's fine. Thanks Domeki!", Watanuki spoke.

There might have been a grunt of acknowledgement, or maybe not. Watanuki couldn't hear very well with the water rushing around him. He quickly finished his shower. Stealthily grabbing the robe on door handle by only opening the door a crack, he put it on, along with his glasses. The robe was loose, but comfortable.

When he opened the door he saw that the futon had been lain out, and that Domeki was sitting on it holding a box of some sort.

"I thought we could play cards and plan our date before going to bed.", Domeki explained.

Watanuki turned a bit red at the suggestion, but nodded his head, before he realized something, "Hey, Domeki, don't you want to take a shower first?"

"I usually get up quite early and take one then.", Domeki explained.

Watanuki wanted to complain that the water would wake him up in the morning, but he let it go. He didn't really want to talk about Domeki's showering habits. It was decided that they would play gin. Watanuki had never really fancied himself a card player, but he had expected to win a hand. He did not.

"Aaaaagh, it's so frustrating to lose all the time!", Watanuki moaned.

"Would you rather I lose intentionally?", Domeki asked.

Watanuki didn't like that, "NO I don't want you to do that! I'll win on my own, thank you!"

"I see.", said Domeki.

The conversation lapsed to a comfortable silence. Punctuated now and again by Watanuki's frustrated growls at losing. It was almost a full hour before any real attempts at conversation were made.

"What do you want to do?", Domeki asked, speaking up.

Watanuki looked confused, "Well, I wanna play a few more hands of this game, then turn in, probably. Why do you ask?"

Domeki rolled his eyes and looked exasperated, "I meant for our date, idiot."

"Oh.", Watanuki stated, turning red, though more from embarrassment than anger, "How about we just go for lunch and then see what looks good?"

Domeki nodded and replied, "In that case I'm turning in. Like I said, I get up early, and I'm also rather anxious to find out what our powers will be."

Watanuki had forgotten about those, _'I wonder what we got! Maybe I'll get flight! Nah, that seems more dangerous than protective, but still…'_

Domeki left like that, with Watanuki's thoughts all aflutter. They both laid down on their separate beds in their different rooms. Each thought of the other while they drifted off. It took them a long time for them to fall asleep.

-x-x-x-

Despite his earlier thoughts, Watanuki was not woken up by the sound of Domeki's early shower. His body was more tired than he realized, and he probably could have slept a great deal longer, but an earthquake woke him up. To be more precise, two warm somethings were gripping his shoulders and forcing his body up and down.

"Oi, wake up."

That voice could only come from one source. Watanuki's dual colored eyes flew open, and found himself looking into the eyes of one Domeki. Watanuki gave a yelp and attempted to back up, but sort of fell in his attempt.

"It's breakfast time.", Domeki said without a trace of shame.

Watanuki immediately started, "Fine, fine! Just get out and let me wake up for a minute!"

Domeki dutifully got up and began to leave. Before he did, though, he gestured towards the closet. Offering no other explanation he retreated to outside, presumably to head towards the kitchen. After a few minutes, Watanuki got up and opened the closet. Inside was his school uniform that Domeki had promised to wash. Watanuki put it on, a bit embarrassed about how rude he'd just been considering what Domeki had done for him.

Watanuki made his way to the kitchen. He was pleased at the scent that was coming from it. It didn't connect with him that Domeki was actually making food until he entered the kitchen. Watanuki almost wanted to laugh at the idea of Domeki preparing food for HIM, but he brushed it aside.

Domeki served breakfast with little fanfare and without bringing attention to the fact that he had made it. Watanuki ate it, and it wasn't anything special, but it was edible. Technically speaking that was more than he had been expecting.

After they finished eating Domeki broke the silence, "We still have a few hours before lunch. What do you want to do until then?"

Watanuki, at the mere mention of lunch turned red, but answered, "I'd like to change into some regular clothes. Why don't I go to Yuko's ahead and then you can meet me there when you're ready to go?"

Domeki nodded in agreement.

"On second thought, meet me outside the store. The last thing I need is Yuko giving me looks.", Watanuki reconsidered.

Again Domeki nodded. Watanuki got up and walked out to the entrance to the temple with Domeki in tow. He looked at Domeki and tried to say something, anything. But found he could not. He started to leave, but it took him less than three seconds his steps weren't taking him anywhere. He looked back and saw that Domeki was grabbing the back of his shirt.

"Domeki? What-", Watanuki got out before he was cut off.

Domeki grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. He held onto Watanuki for far longer than what could be considered "friendly". Watanuki didn't struggle, and even returned it, until the length of the hug began to get a little ridiculous. He started to squirm and Domeki released him. Watanuki still couldn't come up with anything to say, so he gave Domeki a slight nod and went on his way.

The walk to the story was a great opportunity for Watanuki to attempt to reduce the blush on his face. He and Domeki hadn't even been out on one date and things were already changing between them, he could feel it and he was pretty sure Domeki could too. Lost in thought, the walk to Yuko's seemed shorter than usual. In no time Watanuki was inside the store and looking for his employer.

He found her sprawled out on the couch. As usual.

"Oh, Watanuki! I thought you might be dropping by about this time! So, spill! What happened at Domeki's?", Yuko demanded.

The one thing he didn't want was for Yuko to find out what had happened so he lied. He even managed to look confused, as if he didn't know why she was asking, and vaguely disappointed, as if he had wanted something to happen, but it didn't. He figured Yuko would put the pieces and jump to the wrong conclusion. That is, that nothing had happened between the two, but that deep down, he wanted it to.

"Nothing happened.", Watanuki lied, using all of his acting skills.

Yuko looked mildly impressed, "If I was anyone else, that lie would have totally worked! I'm amazed at your ability to keep certain things hidden, Watanuki. That said, I am me, and I DO know what happened. Nice try."

Watanuki sighed and prepared for Yuko to jab at him for accepting a date invitation from Domeki, but no such jabs came. In fact, Yuko seemed genuinely happy about the whole situation. She probably had foreseen and been waiting for this since she had met him. Watanuki got dressed in a simple bright yellow shirt and blue jeans. To kill time, he did his normal jobs around the store. He even cooked a simple meal that Yuko could heat while he was gone. At 11:30 he went outside to wait for Domeki, not wanting to be late.

Domeki was already waiting for him. He was evidently as anxious about the whole thing as Watanuki. Or maybe he was eager. As always, it was impossible to read Domeki.

"Ready to go?", Domeki asked.

Watanuki nodded and the pair started walking towards the town.

"You look nice.", Domeki complimented, looking straight ahead.

Watanuki opened his mouth in shock. He, of course, turned crimson.

"Th-Thanks…"

Desperately wanting to talk about anything else, Watanuki shifted the conversation, "So, I think we both slept for six hours, why don't we have our powers?"

Domeki considered this.

"I think we have them, but just don't know how to use them. After all the witch said they'd be active not easily accessible. After all they could be just about anything."

"I see, that makes sense." Watanuki agreed, "If you're right, I'm sure we'll be able to use them if we really need to, otherwise what would the point be?"

After that, the conversation drifted to safe topics, such as school and Domeki's archery meets. Watanuki made a conscious effort to not get mad at Domeki over everything and soon found that he was enjoying himself. In fact, the two of them were acting like normal friends.

'_We might be acting like friends, but we're on a date!', _Watanuki lamented internally.

When they finally arrived downtown, Domeki took the lead. He apparently had a place in mind. He led them to the same café that they'd tried to meet Himawari at yesterday. The Same As It Never Was Café. Needless to say, Watanuki was a bit surprised.

"Domeki, why are we here again?", Watanuki questioned.

"Beyond merely serving good coffee, I've heard this place is also pretty good for lunch.", Domeki explained, "Plus, I figured you'd be more comfortable in a place you'd been before."

Watanuki turned red yet again. With the alarming frequency this was happening a person could assume that he was developing a fever. The duo sat down at a table towards the back, giving themselves plenty of privacy. A waiter came to their table and took their drink orders. Black coffee for Domeki and a white hot chocolate for Watanuki.

"Calm down. I'm not going to do anything, especially here.", Domeki commented, noticing Watanuki's tension.

Watanuki flinched at being found out, "It's not that, exactly. It's just tough to get used to the idea. I mean just two days ago I could have sworn I disliked you, and now everything seems to be changing. Give me some time to accept the fact that we're dating, okay?"

Watanuki flashed him a rare smile and Domeki had no choice but to agree. Domeki immediately looked away and Watanuki relished in having the upper hand for once. The server came back with their drinks and took their food orders. The pair coincidentally wanted the same club sandwich. The waiter laughed quite heartily. Not only was Watanuki embarrassed, he also sensed something familiar about the laugh. Either way, both of the teens turned and paid close attention to the waiter for the first time.

It was Akira, of course.

"My my, don't you two look cozy! You didn't even notice me! On a date?", Akira teased.

Both of the other two refused to answer, which was more than enough proof for Akira to come to his own conclusion.

"Well, I wouldn't want to encroach on your FIRST date, so I'll request a change of waiters. Stop by anytime!", Akira called cheerily as he walked away.

He left and Watanuki whispered to Domeki conspiratorially, "Since when did Akira…?"

"I have no idea.", Domeki whispered.

Any atmosphere between them was completely ruined so they simply tried to eat as quickly as possible and leave. The bill came and there was a minor disturbance when Watanuki tried to insist that he pay for his share, but Domeki was having none of that. As they left Akira caught their eyes and waved goodbye vigorously. Domeki merely glanced back, while Watanuki gave a weak smile and waved back.

'_Well that was awkward.', _Watanuki thought.

Watanuki was about to try the whole "conversation" thing again, but before he could a little boy bumped into him. Without stopping to apologize the boy ran ahead. Not Watanuki would have noticed if he had, because when the little boy bumped into him, he stopped seeing the world in front of him.

Suddenly he could see them. Black and white flashes of images. The boy running. Into the street. Car screech. No time to dodge. A new spirit is born.

Domeki was looking concerned at his date's behavior.

Watanuki looked up, at Domeki with tears in his eyes, "Domeki, you have to stop that boy! I saw it, he runs into the street, gets hit by a car, and dies."

Domeki didn't question, he didn't even hesitate. He just ran. He ran straight at the boy, trying to stop him or even slow him down just a bit. But Watanuki could see that Domeki wasn't going to make it. The boy had had too much of a head start. Or did he?

Domeki suddenly started to speed up. He was running far faster than Watanuki had ever seen him run before. The boy reached the street and Domeki seemed to run faster than humanly possible. Watanuki saw the car and for a horrific moment he thought both the boy got hit, but no, Domeki managed to pull him back just in time.

Domeki set the boy down, who seemed too confused to process what had almost happened to him. Domeki started looking around for Watanuki. He seemed distressed when he couldn't find him.

"Domeki! Over here!", Watanuki shouted from more than halfway across the block.

Domeki looked over and confusion flashed across his face. He ran back over to Watanuki, at a more normal pace this time.

"What just happened?", Watanuki asked.

"Well," Domeki started, "You just foresaw the future and I think I just ran at superhuman speeds."

'_I guess that explains what our powers are.' _Watanuki mused, though he was still in shock.

"Should we head back to the store?", Domeki suggested.

"What? No.", Watanuki argued, "I can see into the future and you can run really fast. We don't need Yuko to tell us that. Besides I want to finish our date."

Watanuki put his hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that! Domeki, however, just smiled and began walking in the direction that he had just run from, expecting Watanuki to follow.

Of course, he did.

* * *

A/N- The beginning scene is probably the most comedy this story will include at one time, so enjoy it while it lasts! I feel like I'm not so good at the funny stuff. Ooooh, they got their powers! Watanuki's was easy, but it was tough to decide on Domeki's. These powers still have some explaining left, so don't go thinking I've told you everything! I'm sorry again for the wait, I'll try to be quicker in the future.

EchizenRyomaLover- Thanks, frankly I knew the two of them would get wish cred but wasn't quite sure what it should be. This should extend the story nicely!

Watanuki's always blurting out stuff he doesn't mean, but that's part of why we love him! That's pretty much gonna be Akira's role from now on, meaning reduced appearances, but whatevs. Akira has good intuition because it's his power. Or something like that. =)

I feel like if Domeki has something to say he's going to say it. He also won't sugarcoat it.

James Birdsong- Thank you! I used one of your ideas for a chapter title, if you didn't notice already.

fox- He took him to the same place as yesterday. Guess I ran out of creativity. -_- Sorry, but the Tsubasa gang is pretty much out of the picture. I don't have any plans to include them.

Eilonwyn- Yeah I felt like the story had a few more interesting things to say. Ha ha, Akira's great for that sort of thing. I hope you like the direction it's taken so far!

George2Bob1- Thanks. I hope you liked this.


	11. With the Old, In With the New

A/N- The plot thickens! Well, sort of. There still isn't really a conflict I don't think. Well I can cover that with romance! Somehow, I doubt few will complain. Seriously though, something's coming. Something quite big. Maybe this chapter or the one after? I have an idea for the entire story, but I don't plan on a per chapter basis, so we'll see where this all goes.

*Special Note 1*

For some reason when I uploaded this, it didn't read the line breaks I normally add. I'm not up for fixing it, so I'm posting it anyway! You guys are intelligent, I'm sure you can figure out where my story starts/stops and the same for my little notes.

Warnings/Disclaimers/Pairings- It's all the same as before.

Chapter 11- With the Old, In With the New

Watanuki walked down the crowded streets with a his date, Domeki. After the incident with the little boy, he had been loathe to touch anyone, for fear of seeing their future. He soon realized that this was both futile and pointless. Not only would it be nearly impossible to go through the rest of his life without touching someone, he didn't want someone to die when something as simple as touching them could have prevented it. Domeki had exhibited no further strange behavior since his impossibly fast sprint.

"What do you wanna do now?", Watanuki asked.

Domeki glanced at him then looked around. He gestured towards a stand on the street and looked at Watanuki for approval. It seemed to be an ice cream vendor. The man behind the stall had normal flavors, such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, as well as some more unusual ones.

"Sure, why not?", Watanuki shrugged, "Only this time, since you paid for lunch, this'll be on me!"

Domeki frowned and Watanuki could see that an argument was coming. Debating with Domeki was fighting a losing battle, especially if there was a lot of time. Domeki might not be eloquent, but he had the stubbornness of a mule. There was no outlasting him. Watanuki decided to use more sinister tactics.

"I want to buy it for you. Can't I?", Watanuki pleaded. His face arranged in an expression that was somewhere in between disappointed and full blown pout.

Domeki didn't stand a chance. He looked away and let it go. Watanuki smiled in victory.

'_That was too easy! I guess the dating thing has its perks…' _Watanuki cheered internally.

Watanuki and Domeki both ordered their ice cream cones. A wasabi flavored one for Domeki and some flavor termed "butterfly" for Watanuki. He felt that it was his duty to order the multi-colored treat, working for Yuko and all.

"How is it?", Domeki asked.

"…Unique.", Watanuki decided.

"What part of it is unique?"

"All of it, I suppose. How's yours?"

"Spicy."

"How can something cold and wet still be spicy?"

"Dunno."

After that brief exchange the pair fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the ice cream silently. Domeki finished first and waited patiently for Watanuki to do the same.

"Let's go here next.", Domeki said while pointing.

"Here" turned out to be a movie theatre. Watanuki didn't really like the movies, but that was less about the movies themselves and more about certain moviegoers that only he could see. With Domeki there, though, he figured it would be all right. There were only two movies that were going to start in a reasonable amount of time. One was, from what Watanuki had heard, an extremely terrifying movie called When They Cry. The other had been dubbed the saddest and most romantic movie in twenty years.

'_What are the odds that the movie theatre that Domeki just HAPPENED to choose has two movies starting that are likely to provoke strong emotional reactions from me?' _Watanuki considered, looking up at the large teen, _'Zero. Dammit, I can't prove it, but I KNOW he planned it this way!'_

Watanuki was torn between two equally undesirable scenarios. One where he screamed and flinched like a girl, and one where he cried and sobbed, also much like a girl. He wasn't enthused with either idea so he decided to play the odds. It was almost a sure thing that he would cry during the sappy romance, but there was an outside chance that, given his experience in that area, he wouldn't squirm or cry out TOO badly during the horror movie. It was the only option, really.

After they paid for their tickets, Domeki claimed that he had to go to the bathroom. Watanuki decided that he'd get seats and save them, in case the theatre was crowded. It wasn't. The room seemed to be filled with hardcore horror fans and people who didn't know any better. Domeki took an unheard of ten minutes in the bathroom. Watanuki was on the verge of going to find him, when Domeki finally arrived. Watanuki immediately figured out what had taken Domeki so long. He was weighed down by all the snacks he'd bought at the concession stand.

'_If he wanted food he should have just told me…', _Watanuki thought.

Nevertheless, Watanuki rose from his seat and helped Domeki carry his treats. When Watanuki tried to give them back, Domeki wouldn't take them. The boy was beginning to get a little frustrated, when he noticed something. There were two drinks, two boxes of candy, and a family sized bucket of popcorn. Clearly, Domeki hadn't bought all of this for himself, even if he did have a huge appetite.

"Why did you buy all this stuff for us?", Watanuki whispered.

"I like snacks while watching a movie, and you would have insisted on paying for yours if I let you know that's what I was going to do.", admitted Domeki.

Further arguments from Watanuki were cut off as the lights in the theatre dimmed. The previews started off well enough, but as soon the movie started Watanuki regretted his choice. At least he could enjoy a sappy romance, but viewing this was torture! Watanuki had become quite accustomed to both surprises and slow builds of horror. It was only natural, given his gift. What he wasn't accustomed to, however, was the type of scares this movie was offering. That is, graphic violence.

In no fewer than three scenes he was forced to press his head against Domeki's side. The worst was a scene in which a woman's nails were ripped off her fingers. It took him five minutes after that scene was over to unclench his fingers from Domeki's side. When he looked into his dates eyes he saw mild concern looking back.

"Do you want to leave? I don't mind.", Domeki offered.

Watanuki denied it though, "No, it's almost over. If I didn't finish the movie, I'd feel like all that terror was for nothing, y'know?"

Domeki nodded and went back to watching the movie, but not before wrapping his hand around Watanuki's. Ordinarily, Watanuki would have complained, but he was much too frightened to do so. The movie ended in a surprisingly happy way, considering the grim content. Domeki released his hand and began to exit the theatre, Watanuki following after. It took a few minutes for Watanuki's beating heart to resume its normal activities.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would be that scary.", Domeki apologized.

Watanuki was taken aback, but answered, "It's not such a big deal. Though I must say, if I was with anyone else I probably wouldn't have been able to finish the movie. So thanks for giving me a bit of courage, I guess."

Domeki blinked and looked away. Watanuki tried to look at his face, too see if he was blushing, but Domeki wasn't about to let that happen. In the end, either he hadn't been blushing or Watanuki simple hadn't been able to see it in time, because the next time he looked at Domeki's face it's coloring was normal.

"Shall I walk you home or would you like to do something else?", Domeki suggested.

Watanuki considered, "Walk me to the shop, but let's take the long way."

Domeki nodded and the two began walking. The sunlight had begun to fade, but Watanuki couldn't really call it sunset. He estimated that it was somewhere between five and six o'clock p.m. After they'd been walking for a bit, Domeki reached out between them and grabbed Watanuki's hand. To his credit, Watanuki didn't reflexively pull away, though he did tense. He also looked around to see if anyone was staring at them. There weren't many people around, and those that were appeared too busy to notice two high schoolers holding hands.

Their walk on the long way to the shop took them to an old bridge, which had been there for who knows how long. Feeling a bit tired, Watanuki rested his arms on the bridge as he leaned a bit over the edge and peered into the rushing waters. They were probably fifty feet above the water which was a fairly large river. Watanuki was about to push off and begin walking again when he thought he saw something. It was a flash of orange in the blue water, being swept away. He identified the object as a cat.

"Domeki look!", Watanuki shouted, pointing to the cat, "We have to rescue it!"

Domeki saw the cat and looked a bit guilty, "What do you propose we do? I can't very well jump in. I'd drown."

"I don't know, but if we don't do something, no one will! We have to at least try to save it's life!", Watanuki pleaded.

Domeki got a confused look on his face and looked down at his hands. Watanuki began to dash off to find a way down, but Domeki grabbed the back of his shirt, preventing him from moving.

"What are you doing!?", Watanuki cried.

"I… don't know.", Domeki said, a blank look on his face.

He went over to the side of the bridge. He thrust his hands out over it. The palms were faced upwards, and looked much like they would if he had been holding a large pumpkin or watermelon. He closed his eyes and had a look of intense concentration on his face. It was so odd that Watanuki almost forgot about the cat. Almost. He looked over the water, but couldn't find it at first. Then he saw a ball of orange fur. The strange thing was, was that it seemed to be heading straight for him… in the air. A large amount of shock registered on Watanuki's face when the cat landed safely in Domeki's outstretched arms.

"That… that… that's so unfair!", Watanuki yelled, "How come you get two powers!? Geez, that's so irritating, I can't even describe it. You can run really fast and move objects with your mind!? Aaaaah, I'm so annoyed right now!"

There was a soft mewl that prevented Watanuki's other complaint as well as Domeki's defense. It was probably along the lines of 'It's not even really my fault', not that Watanuki would have listened. At any rate, both of their attentions were drawn to the soaking wet cat. It was flustered and pretty dirty, but seemed otherwise okay, so Domeki set it down. The cat scampered off, probably to go back home.

Watanuki appeared to have simmered down a bit, "Good job rescuing the cat, but I think we should talk to Yuko. We were only supposed to get one power, right? Maybe something went wrong or something bad happened to you."

Domeki nodded in agreement. There was definitely something odd going on. However, just because there was something a bit unusual didn't mean they had to cut their walk short. Heck, Watanuki had dealt with odd things nearly every day of his life before this. It only seemed a bit more important because it was a different kind of odd than he was used to.

Their hands reached out at the same time, or as close as made no difference. Their hands clasped together, the two went along their way, taking a small detour at the park. As they made their way through the greenery the sun began to set to dusk. Fireflies began to light up the air around them. If one had a good imagination it would appear as if the insects were lighting the way home.

'_It was a good day.', _Watanuki concluded, _'I still don't know if I like Domeki, but I can say with some certainty that I don't hate him. Ha ha, I don't sound like myself at all!'_

Watanuki looked up at Domeki. His face was a blank, thoughts unreadable. Domeki's face turned to look at Watanuki. The smaller boy gave a small, but genuine small. Domeki's eyes softened into something like caring, before he turned his head and faced forward again. It wasn't much of a reaction, but Watanuki was willing to take it for now.

The rest of the walk proceeded in silence. Just the two of them walking while holding hands. It wasn't romantic, exactly, but Watanuki felt comfortable. Until they got to the shop, that is. He was anticipating a "serious" talk, or at least as serious as it ever got around Yuko's.

The pair walked through the doors and made their way through the house, only stopping to take their shoes off. They were no longer holding hands for obvious, Yuko related reasons. When they finally came upon her, she was resting on the couch as she often was. When she noticed them she looked back and forth between the two she gave a knowing smile, but managed to refrain from any outbursts and instead got right to business.

"I expect you have some questions for me?", She prompted

Watanuki answered her quickly, "You expect correctly. We both used our powers today. I foresaw the future and Domeki ran incredibly quickly. Then only a few hours later, Domeki seemed to have developed an entirely unrelated ability to lift objects with his mind. Now that we've used our powers, can you tell us what they are? Because I thought I was sure what they were, but I suddenly find I'm not."

Yuko sighed and agreed, "I suppose I might as well. Watanuki you first."

Watanuki stepped forward and Yuko stood up. She put her hands on his chest, hovering over his heart. She 'hmmm'ed a few times before lowering hands and gesturing towards Domeki. The process repeated itself except that in Domeki's case she let out a few sounds of surprise.

"Well? Is something wrong?", Watanuki asked impatiently.

"No, nothing wrong just unusual is all!", Yuko assured the teen.

"Unusual how?", asked Domeki.

"Well, as you surmised, Watanuki, you have the ability to see into the future. It is most often referred to as the power of Premonition or Precognition, whichever you prefer.", Yuko explained.

"And Domeki? What about him?"

"He's the unusual part. He has developed an incredibly rare power. It is so rare, in fact, I've never met anyone with this power and I've only read or heard about it occurring in a handful of people."

"Well what is it?", both boys demanded in unison.

"It's an ability known as Lifeguard. It's a unique power that changes to suit a situation. Basically Domeki will develop whatever power he needs in order to perform a rescue. It is said that only those with a strong desire to protect at all costs even have a chance at developing this ability.", Yuko continued, "That said, however, Domeki will probably have a heck of time developing it because he can't consciously activate it."

"Developing? What do you mean by that?", questioned Watanuki.

"My dear Watanuki I've given you an ability, nothing else!", Yuko elaborated, "Think of it as a talent if you like. If a person who has a talent for piano, but has never played, tries to outplay someone with no talent, but has practiced for years, what do you think will happen? In almost all cases the latter will be better. Right now you have an undeveloped talent. It's up to you to use it and make it grow into something bigger."

Watanuki's eyes widened, _'So I could get even more powers or get my current one to become even stronger? Huh, seems like my life might get more complicated than ever.'_

"What will our powers become?" Domeki asked, following up Watanuki's question.

"In your case, Lifeguard is such a diverse power that it's nearly impossible to tell. The way it develops may in fact be based on how you want it to do so. If you wish to protect Watanuki, perhaps you will develop shield based powers that you can use actively, but I can't say for sure," Yuko surmised, "As for you, Watanuki, there is more of a track record for your power as it has been widely documented. You can expect that the advancement of your powers will involve sight or the lives of others somehow."

"I already see too much! What else could I possibly get!?", Watanuki complained.

Yuko smiled a bit at that, "Who knows? If you never develop your gift maybe nothing. Now its been a tough day without your help, Watanuki. I demand you make delicious food as a punishment! Would you like to stay as well, Domeki?"

All eyes turned toward the near silent figure, who had at some point moved towards the back of the room.

He rejected the offer, "No, thank you. I have rather pressing business to attend to."

"Ah ha ha, I thought as much.", Yuko said, grinning knowingly.

"Goodbye Domeki.", Watanuki said with a frown, not expecting him to leave so soon and not knowing how he felt about that.

There was a brief pause.

"… Bye."

And he left. Watanuki stared after him, wanting to say something more or at least thank him. The words wouldn't come out, however, and he remained completely silent until he heard the door close. The pathetic teen gave out a small sigh before turning towards Yuko to hear her dinner order. Before he could even turn to face her, though, she'd stood up walked over to him, and all but shoved him into the entryway.

"Y-Yuko!? What are you doing!?", Watanuki cried.

"You should say the things you want to. So you can live without regrets.", Yuko advised.

Offering no other counsel, the woman retreated to the inner areas of the house. Watanuki stared in shock before pulling himself together. He dashed out of the house, not bothering to stop to put his shoes on, hoping to catch Domeki before he was too far away to catch. He didn't have to go far, Domeki was only just rounding the corner of the walkway and was about to pass out of sight because of the fence.

"Domeki!", Watanuki called.

The stoic teen turned and saw Watanuki. He walked up and stood in front of the boy.

"What is it?", he asked.

"I needed to tell you something.", Watanuki explained.

There was a small pause. Watanuki gathered his thoughts and steeled his resolve to say what he came to say. He also developed quite a blush, but that was neither here nor there.

"Th-Thank you for… t-taking me out today!", Watanuki stuttered, "I had a good time."

"You're welcome.", Domeki said.

Domeki didn't say anything after that, he just seemed to give off a generally pleased aura. Watanuki hadn't expected him to say anything more anyway. Domeki started to leave again and he only got a few meters away when Watanuki suddenly thought of one more thing he had to say.

"Hey Domeki!", Watanuki shouted.

Domeki turned and shot him a questioning look.

"We aren't boyfriends, at least not yet, but if you wanted to say that we were dating, I suppose that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world…", Watanuki admitted. Implying, though not in explicit terms, that a second date would be alright.

Domeki smiled and said only one thing, "See you tomorrow.", before heading off.

Watanuki smiled to himself and stood outside for a few minutes, simply enjoying the warm night and watching the dance of the fireflies. He eventually went back inside, where he was sure Yuko would pepper him with questions. He was right.

"So!? Now that the big guy is gone, tell me what happened on your date!", Yuko squealed as soon as he came within range.

"Aw, c'mon Yuko, you probably already know what happened anyway!", Watanuki complained.

Yuko considered this for a moment, "This is true. But, but, but! All I know is the basics of what happened, not how you felt about the whole thing. So tell me what happened in your own words, and then give me your reflections on it.

And so Watanuki told her. He tried to de-emphasize certain parts, such as the romantic and cute stuff (This had almost no effect, Yuko 'awwww'ed at practically everything resembling romance). As well as the bits with the horror movie. He tried to play up the importance of meeting Akira and the discovery of their powers. All in all, the day sounded like an average one for Watanuki… minus the fact that it all happened while on a date. Yuko wasn't exactly buying his version of events, though. She brought this fact to his attention SEVERAL times.

"Well no matter how cute or romantic I think it is, it all ultimately depends on you.", Yuko commented during a lull, "What is it that you think, anyway?"

"I think…", Watanuki faltered, "I think that the only reasons I don't like Domeki are his attitude, which is a little hard to get used to, and I used to think he was a rival for Himawari's affections. With him liking me it's left me… off balance."

He looked into Yuko's eyes, perhaps seeking advice.

"Well, it's all hitsuzen, but that doesn't mean you don't have a choice."

A/N- yeah, so I hope this was interesting for you! I like how this chapter came out, everything seemed to work the way I'd intended. xxxholic is very difficult to write fan fiction for, mostly for one reason. The main problem is that there are so few characters! There's like three main ones, two supporting, a handful of recurring, and an army of characters that appear once and are never mentioned again! Needless to say, it can be tough to keep things fresh and add new dynamics to old characters. I hope I'm managing to entertain you at least a little bit.

*Special Note 2*

My updates will probably only happen every 2 to 3 weeks for probably at least the next two chapters. I have a lot on my plate with the end of the school year approaching and I don't have the time to get them out quickly. (Not that I get them out quickly anyway.)

Review answering time!

George2Bob1- Hey thanks! This chapter made an attempt at cuteness a few times, I hope it worked!

James Birdsong- Whoo! James thought it was funny! Ah ha ha, seriously when you give me a positive review I feel great, cause you're a bit tougher to please than the others. I hope this chapter was up to snuff!


	12. Of Sight, Not Of Mind

A/N- So yeah, I think I need to start wrapping this fic up. I have two ideas for other fics that are demanding to be let out. (Not in the XXXholic or even CLAMP universe, sadly.) That's not to say I'll rush this, by any means. After all, as my first multi-chapter fanfic it's important to me. But I thought I'd go ahead and announce the beginning of the end.

This chapter made me realize, once again, that I have no clue how to write Yuko.

Disclaimer/Pairing- Same as usual.

Warnings- We actually have one today. Some innuendo. Nothing horrible, but definitely noticeable.

Chapter 12- Of Sight, Not Of Mind

Watanuki awoke in the room he often stayed in when he slept over at the shop. The place was beginning to become a second home for the boy. He drifted in and out of sleep, lazily waking himself up to face the day. Then it hit him.

'_I went out on a DATE! With Domeki of all people!', _Watanuki panicked, _'He's my rival in love! My enemy! Well, enemy is a little harsh, but definitely rival! And what's worse I actually didn't mind it…"_

Poor Watanuki was on the verge of having a meltdown processing his feelings. He got up and started pacing back and forth across the room. The repetitive movement did nothing to calm his frantic thoughts. Fortunately, Yuko arrived just as he was about to freak out. He sighed in relief, assuming she would provide a welcome distraction from his thoughts.

Yuko regarded him with a cool look, and then she suddenly burst out, "So, have you given any more consideration to Domeki and our discussion last night! I'm so excited to hear all about everything that has and will happen in your relationship!"

Watanuki groaned internally.

"Yuuuuuuuko!", He whined, "I don't really feel comfortable talking about it! It's all I can do to keep myself from screaming, it's so confusing."

"Aw, looks like someone doesn't know to express his feelings!", Yuko cooed, even as Watanuki turned to glare at her, "Well, no matter. It can wait awhile. We have training to do!"

"T-Training! What do you mean by that! You don't plan on trying to teach my how to fix up the roof of the shop or something, do you? Because there is no way in hell you're getting me to do something so dangerous!", Watanuki screamed, overreacting and jumping to illogical conclusions all at the same time.

Yuko sighed, "Watanuki, the roof is in perfect condition, not to mention the fact you aren't exactly graceful, PLUS you deal with potentially more dangerous situations on a daily basis! So take a moment and calm yourself."

Watanuki took a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

"There, feel better?", Yuko asked.

Watanuki nodded.

"Good. Now,", she started, "about the training I had ATTEMPTED to explain to you a moment ago. I am aware that you have quite a bit of downtime while on the job where you aren't fulfilling any particular duty. However, you are usually quite diligent about filling this time constructively, by gardening, planning meals in advance, or even doing homework. These activities are to be put on hold for the time being. From today onwards, you shall be honing your newly acquired gift instead. Mustn't fall behind Domeki, after all!"

Watanuki could only stare with his mouth open. It took a moment or two for the gears in his head to start turning after Yuko's rather long speech.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'fall behind Domeki'?", Watanuki questioned.

Yuko smirked down at him, "All in good time Watanuki, he's sure to tell you himself, eventually. Now let's begin!"

"Fiiiiine. One question first. Why exactly are we doing this? Wont the powers develop naturally on their own?", Watanuki mused.

"Well, yes, that's technically true. However, you only see the future. So if you were to see a dismal future for someone while Domeki was not around, things could turn… problematic for you. You need to develop an active power quickly so you can actually protect yourself.", Yuko explained, "Here, take this."

She handed him a large book. The words 'large book' didn't quite accurately describe it, though. It was clearly very old, though in pretty good condition. And if it were to be opened it would spread across someone's legs, even if they were sitting Indian style. So in Watanuki's mind the 'large book' was actually a 'lengthy tome'.

"Please tell me you don't want me to read this whole thing.", Watanuki begged.

"Of course not!", Yuko scoffed, "We have a few weeks not a few years! It's in another language anyway so I doubt you could read it. Anyway, let's just say that the book has a lot of… history attached to it. In more ways than one. Your job is to see it. The past, that is. What has already occurred. What the owners went through while they were in possession of it"

Watanuki blinked, "How is THAT an active power? Sure it's a bit of an extension of seeing into the future but-"

"And how do you expect to learn a new power when you don't fully understand the one you've already been given!", Yuko interrupted, "Just close your eyes and clear your mind. Imagine your mind as a clean slate, or blank page if you prefer, and allow the book's past to fill it. It may not come to you easily, but keep trying."

Watanuki swallowed his arguments and protests, sensing that an argument with Yuko over this would not be one he would win. He began by closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He then did as Yuko suggested and pictured a blank page in his mind. Grasping the book tightly, Watanuki tried and tried to get a picture for where the book had been, but he couldn't seem to come up with anything. After an hour his mind started to get bored and wander and he became unable to concentrate. Yuko's keen eye noticed these things and decided it was time for a break.

"I'm sorry Yuko, I tried really hard, but I just couldn't do it! I didn't feel anything at all…", Watanuki apologized, feeling guilty for failing.

"Don't worry! I said it might not come easy!", Yuko comforted, "You say you tried really hard, huh? That might actually be a problem. If you're trying to imagine what the country might be like, you're doing it wrong. You have to let the book flow into you. If you already have a preconception of where it's been, you won't be able to see into the book's past."

They moved away from that topic and began to discuss more mundane things like school and similar things. Watanuki prepared tea which they drank at a leisurely pace. After a good part of the morning passed by in this manner. Nothing particularly interesting happened, but it did give Watanuki a chance to relax some. It was getting close to lunch time, so they both decided to give the book another try and then have Watanuki make lunch.

He grabbed the book and resumed his earlier position on the floor. Yuko left in order to give him some peace and quiet. He did everything she had told him to do, except this time he made a greater effort to keep his mind blank.

Suddenly he could see them. Black and white flashes of images. A library in a snowy town. A group of travelers. A weary girl. A phantom princess. The glow of an object. A lying doctor. His hate filled eyes. A desperate chase. Collapsing castle. Final parting whispered on the wind. Magic circle and the departure of the travelers.

Watanuki's eye's flew open and he felt as if he had been running for a few miles. He was heaving, gasping, trying to gulp in as much air as possible and catch his breath. When he finally regained his composure he looked up to see Yuko standing at the door frame.

"What did you see?", She asked without fanfare.

Watanuki quickly outlined what he'd seen via the book's past. She nodded and hummed at certain parts of the explanation, but for the most part remained quiet and reflective. After he finished there were a few moments of silence where she gathered her thoughts.

"Well, you had the vision you were supposed to. Good job." She said, "Your powers have grown slightly. Now we just have to wait for your others to show up. Without knowing what they are it's pretty much impossible to train for them. Take a break then and make me some lunch!"

"Fine, fine. Geez you're so pushy.", Watanuki complained.

"I resent that!"

Watanuki rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen. He instantly felt a bit calmer. Kitchens were good. Kitchens he understood. This power that was welling up inside him was unsettling to say the least. He resolved to put it out of his mind and instead concentrate on his day to day activities. Tired out from his training earlier, he decided to go the simple route for lunch, just sandwiches and fruit. Along with the appropriate alcoholic beverage, of course.

They ate in silence and Watanuki used the opportunity to think about Domeki. He found it surprising that his face didn't explode into red at the mere thought of him, but instead he almost slipped into a daydream where he recounted their date. He snapped himself out of it rather quickly, though.

'_Domeki definitely likes me, and I DID say that he could consider us dating, so he'll probably ask me out again at some point. What will I say?', _Wondered Watanuki, _'Ha, who am I kidding? I'll say yes even if I don't want to go. But… I think I do want to. And that worries me."_

Despite new powers and practically living in a shop that grants wishes, this was his main concern. Watanuki is, if nothing else, a very honest and sometimes blunt person, so he wanted to be as straightforward with Domeki as he could. This constant debate over his feelings wasn't doing anyone any good at all. Perhaps he needed to ask someone for advice.

But who to ask was the big question. He didn't think he could bear to talk to Yuko about it, he'd be totally mortified. Especially with all the knowing looks she'd give him. She might even charge him for the 'service'! Akira was out for similar reasons. Mature as she may be, it was unlikely that Kohane would know how to handle a situation involving romance. He could never contact spirits without help so that left one person… Himawari.

It would be awkward. It would be weird. But it could work. Going to his crush's house and asking her for advice about his sort-of-boyfriend wasn't something he was relishing, but it was his best option. At the very least she wouldn't make fun of him. So he began to get ready to leave the store for a little while, planning to also pick up some ingredients for dinner. He started to tie his shoes, but before he finished he looked back and saw Yuko standing in the entryway behind him.

"It's inevitable but…", she started.

Watanuki gave her a questioning look as she trailed off.

"…It doesn't mean you don't have a choice.", she finished.

"That's the second time you've told me that Yuko. What do you mean?", Watanuki asked.

Yuko smiled back, "It's not time for you to know, but think about it all the same."

"…ok." agreed Watanuki.

Watanuki stood up from putting his shoes on and tried to leave again, however he had a thought that stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey Yuko, I just had a thought.", Watanuki began.

"How unusual!", she smirked mischievously.

"Hey!", Watanuki shouted, "That's not very nice! I have something important to say."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry! Please continue.", Yuko laughed.

"ANYWAY," Watanuki said with emphasis and a glare, " what you said about inevitability and choices made me think. Why was I able to affect the outcome of the premonition I saw earlier?"

"I don't know.", Yuko admitted, "It's the great mystery surrounding premonitions. It isn't known why some visions can be changed in outcomes while others happen no matter what you do to prevent them. It has been speculated that premonitions are not actually visions of the future, but actually a type of heightened awareness of the most likely outcome of current events. That explains why some are changed while others are not. Though as I said, it is only speculation and not a fact."

"Well, you've given me a lot to think about.", Watanuki said, nodding his head, "I have to get going, though. I need to pick up ingredients for dinner and… attend to a personal matter."

"I know. Be safe.", Yuko advised.

Watanuki simply nodded and took off. He exited through the parting in the fence and turned towards Himawari's house, intending to stop there first. On the walk over he attempted to rehearse how he hoped the conversation would go, but without knowing how she would respond he didn't get past the greetings and his question. He decided to "wing it" and hope for the best.

He arrived at her house and was about to ring the doorbell when he heard a sound coming from the side of the house. He immediately went to check it out. It was Himawari, and she appeared to be doing a little gardening. The fact that she was wearing thick gardening gloves, a sunhat, jeans, and a t-shirt were all the details he could take in before she noticed him and looked up from the bush of yellow roses she was tending. As always, the first thing she did upon seeing him was smile.

"Why, hello there Watanuki! How are you today?", She chirped.

"H-H-Hi.", he stammered, "I'm fine, thanks. You?"

"As you can see, I was just doing a bit of gardening. To what do I owe this pleasure?", she inquired.

"…I need some advice", He admitted.

This was hard for him to do. After all, he had quite a bit of natural pride, that whole incident with the feather had simply magnified it. Himawari was still smiling, but she seemed to take on a more serious demeanor. She put set her tools and gloves down in order to give Watanuki her full attention. She nodded and gestured towards Watanuki, giving him the hint that he should start to describe his problem.

"Y'see, there's this… person that likes me.", Watanuki explained, "That person and I went out on a date and I said we could go on another, but I'm not sure it's the best thing to do. My feelings towards… that person are conflicted. I don't know what to do."

"So, to sum up," Himawari concluded, "Domeki asked you out on a date and you said yes. You went out and had a better time than you expected. You then agreed to go out again. However, you're conflicted because your feelings aren't as strong as his and you don't want to lead him on."

Watanuki was shocked, to say the least. How did she know all of that!

"Wha-? How! How do you know all that!", Watanuki sputtered, limbs flailing every which way as if independent from his body.

"Ah ha ha, you're so funny Watanuki.", Himawari laughed easily, "It's easy. I just put two and two together. If it wasn't a boy you would've definitely said 'there's this GIRL that likes me' not 'person'. And if it was anyone but Domeki, you'd be going to him for advice. Not me."

Watanuki denied this vehemently, "HA! Like I'd ask that oaf for advice on anything! But that's neither here nor there."

"It isn't." She agreed.

"So do you have anything helpful to say that could solve my dilemma?", he asked.

"Hmm… well I'd say if you didn't dislike the first date, then there's really no reason to decline a second. Of course if you still feel nothing but friendship after a long time, it might be time to end the relationship." Himawari suggested.

Watanuki chewed on that for awhile. Himawari went back to gardening, content to wait for Watanuki's response. It was true, when he wasn't training or actively talking to someone, his thoughts had been a bit Domeki-centric. Watanuki was thinking about her advice of course, but he was also reevaluating his opinion of Himawari. He hadn't expected her to be so intuitive, nor this helpful in adding valuable input to his problem. It had made things much less painful than he'd expected them to be. He had a lot to think over and groceries to shop for, so he decided to quit intruding on Himawari.

"Thank you Himawari, I have to go now, but you've been very helpful.", Watanuki conceded as he began to leave.

"Of course, you mustn't keep Yuko or Domeki waiting. Please drop by anytime.", Himawari agreed, "Also one more thing…"

Watanuki stopped and half turned towards her, cocking his head to listen.

"In my experience, once someone's going round and around in your head, you've already half fallen in love with them."

Watanuki froze like a deer in the headlights. He gave a weak smile and went on his way towards the shopping district in as fast a walk as his legs would carry him.

'_I couldn't possibly love that idiot, could I? Not so soon!', _Watanuki lamented.

Ten minutes of this torturous internal back and forth turned out to be beneficial for Watanuki and possibly Domeki as well. He decided that love or not, going on another date was a definite must. If he ended things now, he knew he'd regret it later. These ten minutes of debate within himself also gave him enough time to get to the grocery store, where he was presented with an entirely different sort of problem. What to get for dinner.

Yuko was ALWAYS in the mood for something or other, usually something complicated. Watanuki would usually just ask her as he was going out or else she would tell him directly and demand he go shopping right that minute. Today, however, in all his mental drama he'd forgotten to ask and she hadn't told him. She was completely unpredictable and there was almost no way that something he randomly picked out would complement her taste for that night. He was on the verge of giving up in despair when his pocket vibrated rather forcefully.

It was a text from Akira of course.

'_I'm thinking shrimp pilaf is a good choice.'_

Watanuki rolled his eyes and quickly texted back:

'_Are your feelings always about things that are this mundane?'_

'_No. Just for you, my dear Watanuki! Consider yourself special. What do you need shrimp pilaf for anyway?'_

'_Dinner for Yuko. As payment for helping me avert her wrath, you can join us if you want.'_

'_Really! Thanks! When should I be over?'_

Watanuki checked the time on his phone. 5 o'clock. He quickly shot Akira another text:

'_It'll be ready around 7 or 7:30. Why not show up a bit before 7?'_

His only reply was a _'will do.' _from Akira. He went about picking up the ingredients he'd need for the dinner. Rice, vegetables, and, of course, shrimp. He paid for the items at the register and began heading back to the shop. The sun had begun setting and he headed home faster than he thought might be necessary, not wanting Yuko to become upset at being too hungry.

"Watanuki! What's for dinner? I'm starving!", Yuko whined.

Obviously, fast wasn't fast enough. Watanuki sighed and answered her.

"Shrimp Pilaf."

Yuko cooed at that, "Oh Watanuki! How did you know just what I was craving today?"

"Trade secret.", Watanuki said dryly, "I invited Akira to join us."

Yuko smirked, "Oh? Not Domeki?"

Watanuki didn't have to see into the future to know where she was headed with that loaded question, "No. And I'd rather not discuss him if you don't mind."

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't been contacted by Domeki for about 24 hours. It was unusual when he went a full day without seeing Domeki when they WEREN'T dating, and although he didn't know much about relationships, he was pretty sure that couples were supposed to spend more time together, not less.

Watanuki was beginning to be able to admit more and more of his feeling towards Domeki, and he wasn't ashamed to admit (at least to himself) that he was disappointed that he hadn't been contacted yet by the taller teen. If nothing else they needed to plan a second date soon. He sighed in a somewhat melancholy manner as he entered the kitchen in order to prepare dinner. He began to make dinner on autopilot, lost in his thoughts. He perked up some when Akira arrived and poked his head in to say hi. Dinner was ready soon after that and the three sat down to eat.

When he came in with the food Yuko and Akira were laughing at something or other.

Figuring that it couldn't be a good thing he asked, "What are you two laughing at?"

"Oh we just think you and Domeki are so cute together!", Yuko explained, Akira nodding in complete agreement.

Watanuki nearly tripped and fell face first into the ground, food and all. Luckily Akira managed to grab and steady him.

"WHAT!", Watanuki screamed in outrage as soon as he regained his balance, "Why in the world would you think that! We are NOT cute at all! Least of all that oaf!"

"Oh, I agree with you there, Watanuki!", Akira offered, giving Watanuki hope of an ally before shattering it with his next statement, "Domeki isn't cute at all. It's you two together that's cute!."

Watanuki groaned and simply began to serve the food out to the three diners. He tried as best he could to stay out of the cross fire of the adult woman and teenage male who were acting like childish schoolgirls.

"Domeki certainly has his good points, though. Wouldn't you agree Akira?", Yuko asked conversationally.

Akira nodded, "Oh, to be sure. He has the whole stoic thing going for him. He's also completely devoted to the one he loves. Not to mention the fact that he's tall and has the body of someone who works out regularly! If I was a girl or Watanuki I'd be swooning!"

"Oh yeah, if I was just a few years younger… Hey, do you think his height and musculature is reflective in his… less visible areas?"

"Ah ha ha, we should ask our dear Watanuki the answer to that one!"

Both pairs of eyes turned towards the boy wearing glasses, who was beet red and trying not to be noticed. Yuko had the most lewd look on her face that Watanuki had ever seen, while Akira had his standard "I can smile through anything" smile that didn't seem to be wavering.

"Why are looking at me? I-It's not like I'd know. We've only been on one date so far…", Watanuki trailed.

"So you admit you want to go on more dates?", Yuko demanded with a smile.

Watanuki looked at the floor, "…Maybe."

He was sure that either her or Akira was going to say something completely mortifying, but a voice from a small ways off made itself heard.

"Oi, Watanuki!"

That could only be Domeki.

"Could you come to the front?"

"Sure thing! I'll be there in a minute!", Watanuki called back.

He stood up and began to make his way towards Domeki, looking back towards Yuko and Akira.

"Look,", he started, catching both of their interests, "I know that, despite your teasing you two are genuinely happy for me and sad that me and Domeki might not spend as much time with you when we get together, especially you Yuko, so I want to reassure you that I'll keep seeing you both, no matter what."

He left without waiting for their replies. They exchanged a glance filled with questions. Given their personalities, Watanuki probably could have made an educated guess about their being happy for him, but how did he know that they were also sad? Apparently, Watanuki was more in tune to other people's feeling than they originally thought.

Watanuki walked to the entryway, but didn't spy Domeki there so he assumed that he was waiting outside. His guess proved to be right when he opened the door and found Domeki standing to the right of it. Domeki was dressed in his temple robes and looked to be a bit tired.

"So,", Watanuki began, "Haven't seen you in awhile. What's up?"

"I'm sorry for not contacting you sooner.", Domeki said straight forwardly, with no emotion.

Watanuki stared at him and began to squint, feeling something welling up inside him. It was an indescribable feeling, but he felt that there was more to what Domeki said than what there seemed.

"Yes. You ARE sorry.", Watanuki agreed, "And also…Guilty? So you must have wanted to talk to me, but couldn't for whatever reason."

Domeki's eyes widened, wondering how Watanuki read him so accurately when he had never seemed to be able to before. He quickly recovered and responded.

"Yes. I was training. Trying to activate my power without someone being in danger.", He stated.

Watanuki supplied the answer to the underlying question, "You're disappointed, so you must not have gotten the results you wanted. But you are quite determined so I'm sure you'll get it to work eventually."

"Right again. I was able to activate it, but only once and I'm not even sure what power it was, all I know is that I was using some sort of energy. … On another note, you seem a bit strange tonight. You've been accurately guessing all of my feelings.", Domeki commented.

"Yeah, I guess I have, huh? I wonder what that's all about.", Watanuki agreed.

Domeki sighed and said, "Well, I have to go, so I'll leave you to puzzle it out. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for our second date."

Domeki leaned in and before Watanuki could react to either his words or his movement, he was pecked on the cheek. Watanuki could feel the warmth on his cheek from where Domeki's lips had been. He would have brought his hand to his cheek and made some stupid comment, but suddenly his heart began to feel weird. He felt a deep sense of caring and a burning desire to protect. He doubled over from the overwhelming emotion.

"Aaaah! My heart! It feels so… strange!", Watanuki struggled to come up with the words.

"Good strange or bad strange?", Domeki asked with concern, placing his hand on Watanuki's shoulder.

As soon as he did so, Watanuki felt a huge surge of the emotion and he suddenly figured it out. It wasn't his own feelings. They were Domeki's! He could feel what Domeki was feeling! It was an incredible feeling and it made him feel much closer to the teen.

"This- This is how you feel for me…? I can feel what you feel. Caring, and a need to protect. That's you all the way, isn't it?", Watanuki inquired.

Domeki simply chose to nod.

"I think I've developed a new power. The power to feel what other people are feeling. Empathy, I guess it would be called.", Watanuki stated, mostly to himself.

There was a silence as Watanuki tried to deal with the roiling emotions inside him. If Domeki had to deal with this on a daily basis, then Watanuki had to give him credit for not pursuing him before the feather made him do so. He'd barely had the feeling for a minute and he still wasn't acting normally.

"Ok, so tomorrow morning. I'll see you then!", Watanuki said cheerily.

Domeki nodded and wrapped Watanuki in a tight hug. He let go sooner than the last one they shared. As they were parting, their hands brushed against one another.

Suddenly he could see them. Black and white flashes of images. Broken glass glinting in the sunlight. An evil laugh. His own self in an ambulance, on the way to the hospital and clearly in bad shape. A glimpse into a body bag before it was closed. Domeki's face. Tears. Lots of them.

Watanuki gasped and pulled back. Domeki looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

'_If I tell him about the premonition then his choices will change and something may happen that I won't have seen coming. No. For now I'll keep it a secret and tell Yuko about it when I get a chance.' _Watanuki thought to himself.

"No, it's nothing. Just a chill.", he assured Domeki, "Now go on home. I'll see you tomorrow."

Domeki left and as soon as he was gone, Watanuki's smile dropped and he began to head inside to inform Yuko of recent events. When he heard a sound carried on the wind. Sounding a long way off. It was a laugh. An evil laugh.

The same laughter as in his premonition!

Watanuki looked around, but there was nobody there.

A/N- I know, I know, it's been awhile. To make it up I made this one longer! It was difficult too! It's sooooo late where I am… but I didn't want you guys to think I'd abandoned this fic, so I beat my inner muse to a bloody pulp and finished this in one night.

And now the ever popular (not really) review replying time!

James Birdsong- Thanks James, glad you liked it!

George2Bob1- Not that cute this time (maybe a little), but definite moves forward in terms of plot. Both regular and romantic.

Chi Akai- I got your message. Thank you so much for the compliments! I gotta admit, writing comedy is much harder than drama, so I'm glad you like it. I agree with you in certain aspects of Watanuki's supposed OOCness. It's true that he's often out of character in this story, but a big part of that is his feather, which made him prideful. Prideful people tend to be colder in general, and less likely to show their emotions so freely. Also when Domeki asked him out, he makes a conscious effort not to snap at him as much (I think I mention it somewhere) and would therefore not be acting normally. But yeah there's like a… chapter/ chapter and a half where neither of these things is true and he's OOC. Oops, looks like a slipped up! =P Top two in this fandom and top ten of all time! Wow, seriously, thanks. I appreciate your thoughts!


	13. Running Fate

A/N- Yay, I got more reviews than usual for the last chapter! I mean, I don't ask for them or hold chapters "hostage" until you do like some authors, but it's nice to know people are reading. Please enjoy this chapter as well!

Bit of a romancey scene, but I'm not that comfortable writing them, so if you thought it was awkward, clichéd, forced, just plain bad, or even (by some miracle) good, I'd appreciate your input, especially on how to improve! Thank you.

Disclaimer/Warning/Pairing- Same as always

* * *

Chapter 13- Running Fate

The first thing Yuko said when Watanuki got back inside was, "So, what happened?"

Somehow, he got the feeling she didn't mean in terms of romance.

He relayed the events of what occurred to her and Akira. The silence after he finished was heavy and tense.

"Hmmm, well, for starters, you should be commended, Watanuki.", Yuko finally said.

"What do you mean?", He asked with confusion.

Yuko smiled, "You were right not to tell Domeki. If you had, he'd probably insisted on staying with you to protect you, and who knows what would have happened because of that decision? Because we know where the current path leads, we can take action to change it, but not arrive at an completely unpredictable fate."

"Yes, I agree.", Akira added, "That was some quick thinking, I'm sure I couldn't have done it."

'_And I'm absolutely certain you could have.', _Watanuki thought with a mental eye roll.

"At any rate, Yuko, what should I do?", Watanuki asked.

"For now, nothing.", Yuko advised, holding her hands up to cut off Watanuki's protest, "You need to get as close to that future as possible and change course as soon as you notice the conditions are forming. Now I doubt you know the date, but based on that evil laugh and your relative inexperience with your power, we can assume the event will occur within a week. Now, did you catch the time, or could you even tell if it was day or night?"

Watanuki thought for a moment before responding, "Well, I don't know the exact time, but based on the way the light seemed to be glinting off the shards of glass I saw in my vision I'd say it happened between the times of late morning to early afternoon."

"Very good deductive reasoning Watanuki!", Yuko cheered, Akira smiling and nodding in agreement, "We now know that you and Domeki are safe, at least until late morning!"

Watanuki sighed loudly, "Thanks. That's real encouraging. Neither of us will die tonight, but no guarantees about tomorrow, huh?"

"Ha ha ha! You shouldn't be so down, Watanuki! Haven't you learned by now that you have to take life as it comes?", Yuko laughed before she turned a bit more serious, "All joking aside, though, you should sleep at the shop until all of this is resolved."

Watanuki blinked at the sudden change in mood, but nodded anyway. As he started to become lost in his thoughts, Akira stood up.

"I've got to be going, my parents will wonder where I've been. I didn't tell them I'd be out.", Akira explained.

"You didn't tell them! What's wrong with you! They'll be worried sick!", Watanuki yelled.

"Hey, I forgot!", Akira chuckled, "Don't worry, though. They're used to me forgetting to let them know where I am."

Watanuki eyed him suspiciously, but let it go and walked him out. When he came back Yuko had the TV on and they watched a bit together. He cleared the dishes and then washed them. He returned to where Yuko was, but he'd hardly sat down when he yawned.

"Maybe it's time to turn in, Watanuki?", Yuko suggested.

"Mmmm, guess so…", Watanuki agreed, stifling another yawn.

Yuko smiled and said goodnight, as did Watanuki. As he began to get ready for bed, the first thing he did was take his phone out of his pocket. He saw that he had a text from Domeki that had been sent some time ago.

It read:

'_I forgot, I have extra chores to do around the temple tomorrow morning. In order to give me a bit more time to do them, do you mind meeting at the temple around 11:00 instead of at the shop?'_

Watanuki sent back a message, agreeing to the change of meeting place, not thinking much of it. He got into his pajamas and brushed his teeth. Thinking of the next few days and the challenges they were sure to bring, he turned out the lights and went to sleep.

-X-X-X-

The next morning Watanuki awoke at 8:00 sharp. His mind, foggy with sleep, still clung to some remnants of dreams, but he forgot them minutes after waking up. He quickly shook himself completely awake and began to go about his morning routine, which included a leisurely shower. After a good half hour soak he was feeling clean and refreshed. He threw on some casual day clothes and glided to the kitchen to begin breakfast. As soon as he entered he grabbed an apron and set to work making a traditional Japanese breakfast. Yuko liked to eat pretty much right after waking up, so Watanuki always got started soon after he himself woke up.

Yuko woke up twenty five into his making breakfast, had finished getting ready for the day in another five, and was complaining about hunger in another five after that. She continued to do so for the next twenty minutes until Watanuki had breakfast on the table. She didn't scarf the food, Yuko was above scarfing, but she did eat rather quickly. Watanuki didn't ask what her rush was, partially because he didn't particularly care to know, but mostly because he was in a bit of a rush himself.

Though he still had a good hour until he had to meet Domeki, Watanuki prided himself on punctuality and didn't want to be late. He cleared the table and did the dishes, and he even managed to squeeze in a bit of cleaning before he was out the door with barely an "I'll see you later" to Yuko. As soon as he stepped outside, he found himself feeling more sedate. He couldn't fathom why he'd been in such a rush. Maybe because Yuko was, his power had picked up on it without him knowing? If that was the case, he'd have to be more careful not to copy people's emotions in the future.

At any rate, he walked towards the temple with a bit of a spring in his step, admittedly happy to be seeing Domeki again. There weren't any other pedestrians on his way, he thought it was a bit odd because usually he saw at least a few people walking around this area at this time of day. He also felt a bit of a chill, but besides a slight shiver he shook it off quickly. He took a few more steps when, suddenly, the temperature dropped dramatically. Where before he felt comfortable in his short sleeve and pants, he now wished he was wearing a sweatshirt. He was immediately put on guard, knowing the work of a spirit when he saw or, in this case, felt it.

Then out of nowhere, he felt a huge outpouring of emotion coming from behind him. It was filled with rage, bitterness, and hatred. Fortunately, the emotions were so strong that Watanuki could easily identify them as not his own and kept himself from unintentionally mimicking them. He turned slowly to observe a male figure slowly walking towards him, obviously the source of the negative waves of emotion. He was wearing a blue overcoat, navy dress pants, a white shirt, black shoes, and white gloves. He was obviously a spirit from a long time ago. Watanuki tried to flee, but his legs were frozen on the spot in fear. As the man grew closer Watanuki heard the deliberate laugh that was becoming dangerously familiar.

"Ah ha ha! I've found you… boy.", the man growled.

Having come within a few yards of Watanuki. The teen was able to get a closer look at the man. He might have been called handsome by some, but Watanuki saw that his features were twisted, warped into a decidedly evil glint. Especially the eyes. They had no iris's, in fact, the entire eye was pitch black, giving him an alien appearance that contrasted heavily with his near white skin.

"What do you want?", Watanuki stated in as fierce a tone as he could muster.

The man's smiled a smile that stretched from ear to ear. His teeth were far sharper than normal, Watanuki noted.

"Oh, down to business so soon? We haven't even exchanged names yet!", he exclaimed in mock politeness, "It's Vincent, by the way."

"…Watanuki."

Vincent grinned again taking a few steps in Watanuki's direction, "Now, as for what I'm here for… I have a bone to pick with your archer friend, but with him having the power of Lifeguard and a person he wants to protect, in addition to the powers he already had, he may prove too much for me to handle."

"What does that have to do with me?", Watanuki demanded.

"My, touchy are we? It means-", He leaned in close and whispered in Watanuki's ear, "that in order to weaken that man's power I need to eliminate the one he wants to protect. You."

He leapt back and smiled again, waiting for Watanuki react.

Watanuki wasn't impressed, "I deal with you spirits on a daily basis. You think you scare me?"

Vincent's face turned to one a pure hate and anger, and even if it didn't Watanuki certainly would have felt the change in mood.

"I think you'll find that I'm no mere spirit!", He snarled, "So now… I'll be taking your life, BOY!"

He pulled his arms into himself, one gripping each shoulder, and began to glow with an unearthly power. His hair began to lift off up towards the sky, in defiance of gravity. He closed his eyes as the energy swirling around him reached a fever pitch.

'_Okay now seems like a good time to run! Where to? Who cares, just run!', _Watanuki debated within himself.

He took off running, just as he saw Vincent's eyes open.

"GRISLY BLADES!"

Watanuki heard this shout and winced. He chanced a look behind him and saw about fifteen crescent shaped and black colored blades coming right for him. One came straight for his head, but he ducked and it whizzed harmlessly to his right, dissolving into a wall and doing no visible damage. Apparently they only did damage to their intended target.

'_That's good… I guess.', _Watanuki shook himself, _'This is not the time to be worrying about PROPERTY DAMAGE of all things! Get a grip and run faster!'_

Watanuki kept running and dodging, and he thought he was doing a pretty good job. That is, until they started hitting him. Not full on, of course. Watanuki didn't even want to think about what would happen if that were the case. However, there were a few times where his reaction time was just a little slow and he got nicked. He racked up minor slashes on his right arm, both of the calves of his legs, and his right side. Watanuki was aware in the back of his mind that these cuts were bleeding, but he didn't stop running. Of these injuries, the most troubling were the ones on his legs, as they threatened to slow him down.

He had just narrowly avoided yet another blade to the head, when he heard that same evil laugh from above him.

"What's wrong Watanuki? Getting tired! I haven't even begun to attack yet!", Vincent called from somewhere in the air, mocking the teen.

Watanuki gritted his teeth and kept running. He realized that he was in an area he was familiar with. His unconscious fleeing had brought him to one of the few places he felt safe. Domeki's temple.

Watanuki looked behind his back and saw that there was only one blade left, but that it was heading straight towards his back at a speed faster than his own. The boy in glasses put on a burst of speed and sprinted for the entrance to the temple, where he hoped the wards would protect him.

He felt the energy of the blade close in behind him.

He was just a stone's throw from the temple.

It cut through the material of his shirt.

Just a few feet to the temple.

He felt pain and blood trickle down his back…

SAFE!

Watanuki crossed the threshold to the temple, and the pressure behind him vanished. He spun on his heels and saw Vincent, hovering in the air about six feet off the ground. He was grimacing in frustration. It was obvious that he was trying to enter the temple to finish the job, but was unable to do so. Watanuki heard a shout, but he didn't look towards where he heard it coming from and instead focused on Vincent.

The spirit stopped struggling to enter and turned to Watanuki.

"I may have underestimated your speed and this temple's wards THIS time, but do not expect it to happen again!", he said. Then he smirked, baring his fanged teeth again, "See you later."

He disappeared into thin air and Watanuki collapsed to his knees, relieved beyond words that he wasn't going to be killed.

"WATANUKI!", shouted a concerned Domeki.

He was sprinting top speed towards the boy, having seen the spirit and Watanuki's collapse from a distance. As he got closer, he saw that Watanuki was injured.

Obviously worried, Domeki began to question Watanuki, "What happened!"

He said this even as he began to look over Watanuki's wounds, making sure they weren't too serious. Watanuki wanted to tell him, he really did. However, if he was going to prevent a pretty awful future from happening, Domeki would have to remain in the dark for a little while longer.

"Uh… you know… the usual?", Watanuki lied.

It sounded weak and they both knew it. Domeki didn't even bother trying to verbally wrangle the answer out of the injured teen. He simply stopped fussing and looked at him, a disbelieving look on his face.

Watanuki sighed and decided to stick as close to the truth as possible but still not give much away, "I was attacked. By a spirit, of course. This one was a bit nastier than most and I got hurt."

Domeki rose an eyebrow at the "a bit nastier" part, but other than that he seemed to accept Watanuki's answer. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, adjusting the robes he often wore when he was at the temple.

"So did you see it?", Domeki asked.

'_Should I tell him the truth or not?', _Watanuki wondered, _'Well, it's not as if he can go off looking for the guy, and at least this way if he DOES see Vincent, he'll know to be on guard.'_

"Umm.. It was a man… young, but an adult", Watanuki described, "Pale skin, clothes from about… oh eighty five years ago or so. Upper class. Eyes as black as night… That's all I remember."

Domeki nodded, clearly making a mental note of this information. He drew Watanuki up to a standing position and began guiding him towards the temple.

"Hey! Quit it!", Watanuki protested, "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to treat your wounds, and then we're going on our date.", Domeki explained.

Watanuki flushed red at the mention of said date. He was flustered enough that he didn't even consider claiming that he was fine and his wounds didn't even hurt and that Domeki was wasting time until Domeki had already led him to the bathroom and placed a first aid kit on the counter.

"Roll your pants up and take your shirt off.", Domeki ordered.

"And who the hell are you to demand something like that!", Watanuki screamed, flying off of the handle with barely a moments notice.

Domeki rolled his eyes, seeming almost impatient, "The wounds on your torso and legs are hard to get to with your clothes on."

"O-oh.", Watanuki stuttered, a bit embarrassed.

Watanuki sat still as Domeki treated his wounds, trying to slow the process down as little as possible. He winced every now and then when Domeki was a bit careless or had to apply disinfectant, but otherwise it was a largely painless experience. Except for the pain the injuries were causing him. The only tricky part was the gash on his back. Though it wasn't very deep at all and in fact was the least serious wound, it was the largest. Domeki ended up having to take gauze and wrapping it around Watanuki's back and stomach like a sash.

Throughout all of this Domeki appeared, at least on the surface, to be completely professional. Spending the exact amount of time each wound required before moving onto the next. Watanuki, however, wasn't fooled by the act. Though Domeki was extremely good at acting indifferent, Watanuki could feel his true emotions. Domeki was starting to get a bit flustered looking at and touching Watanuki's bare upper half. Getting angry was the first thing Watanuki thought to do, but slowly Domeki's emotions merged with his own somewhat. Making him feel a bit hot under the collar. Figuratively speaking, of course, seeing as he wasn't actually wearing a collar.

The effect of this was, that by the time Domeki was done dressing Watanuki's wounds they were both in the mood for romance. Domeki looked into Watanuki's eyes with his mouth already poised to ask a question. Probably something in the vein of "are you all right?", but before he got a chance he saw Watanuki's eyes had been clouded with a lust matching his own.

They leaned in closer. Watanuki being totally caught up in the moment and by Domeki's feelings.

Their breath mingled, and Watanuki hesitated in connecting their lips. Domeki, though, wasn't quite so hesitant.

He crushed their lips together in a kiss that set Watanuki's heart on overdrive. Watanuki gasped in surprise at the feeling that small connection ignited.

Domeki took this as an invitation and thrust his tongue into Watanuki's mouth. Not knowing what to do, Watanuki kept as still as possible at first. However, as Domeki's tongue moved against his he felt as if he should do something. He hesitantly flicked his tongue out to meet Domeki's.

Domeki was appreciative of this, if his sudden spike in lust and groan into Watanuki was any indication.

After a bit more exploring, Domeki leaned back and broke the kiss. Watanuki wasn't sure whether he was happy or disappointed at this, but either way he blushed and averted his eyes from Domeki's. He was still dealing with emotional reactions from two people regarding their kiss, and looking into Domeki's eyes would likely only confuse him more.

Domeki regarded Watanuki with cool eyes, trying to decide if the teen regretted or was frightened by what they had done. At least that's what Watanuki assumed the worry and guilt he was feeling was stemming from. Watanuki still didn't meet Domeki's eyes, but he did decide to speak.

"Do you have a shirt I could borrow?", He asked, "I don't want to walk to wherever we're going for our date in the tattered remnants of the shirt I wore over here."

That was all Domeki needed to hear. Watanuki not running away and acknowledging that their second date was still going to happen was as good as consent in his mind.

Domeki nodded and left, having a small but real smile on his face.

'_Sheesh, he sure was relieved!,' _Watanuki mused, _'I'm beat, though. Feeling double the emotions I'm used to sure is tiring…'_

Domeki promptly returned. He had changed out of his temple robes and into something a bit more casual. He also had a plain white shirt for Watanuki. Watanuki immediately put it on. It was about two sizes too big, but it would just have to do.

"Shall we head out?", Domeki suggested.

"…Sure.", Watanuki said hesitantly.

As they were leaving, Watanuki hit his injured side against a doorframe. He hissed in pain and instinctively brought his hand to his side to check the injury. As soon as his hand grazed the area where he'd been hurt, something happened.

Suddenly he could see them. Black and white flashes of images. Except… it was different this time… The scene Watanuki was viewing wasn't a simple flash, it was a lot longer and more fluid than that. He was seeing a distinct event, instead of impressions of it. It appeared that his Premonition power had grown again.

Furthermore, he wasn't merely viewing the event from a distance, but found that reality around him crumbled and placed him within it, giving him a front row seat to the action.

_It was the past, that much Watanuki could see clearly, the outdated equipment of the laboratory he found himself in, was his first clue. The clothing of the man who burst into the room was his second._

"_Finally!", the man shouted, unaware he had an audience, "I've come one step closer to perfecting my potion of youth!"_

_Watanuki gasped, the man was Vincent! He was a bit younger, and didn't look nearly as evil, but it was unmistakably him. Vincent kept working, oblivious to any sound that Watanuki made. Seeing that he was going unnoticed, Watanuki opted to take a closer look at the room he was in. This second look around revealed more than the initial one had. Though he was in a laboratory, that was true, it would also be fair to say he was in an arcane sanctum. The entire room was covered in designs and runes, and in languages he didn't understand. It also had many books that literally glowed with power._

_It was obvious that not only was Vincent a scientist, he was also an accomplished sorcerer, as well. Though Watanuki probably could have guessed the latter based on the attack he had recently borne the brunt of._

_Speaking of Vincent, he was readying some sort of concoction. With complete disregard for what Watanuki considered manners, Vincent downed an entire flask full of some sort of green liquid. The man stood in the center of the circular room, in obvious anticipation of something. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened. Vincent at first looked disappointed, then frustrated._

"_WHY! Why doesn't it work!", He cried, "It was supposed to take me back to my prime. Unless I'm in my prime now, at twenty seven, which I doubt!"_

_The anger on his face reminded of Watanuki of the mask of hatred the man had worn when he attacked the boy, but it was nowhere near as evil. Suddenly the sorcerer snapped his fingers and smiled._

"_I know what my potion needs!", He declared, "It needs life energy! If I can take some from some insects in the nearby forest, I'm sure it'll work!"_

_What Watanuki next saw was a series of smaller scenes taking place over a few years._

_At first the magic user used his power to merely drain insects of a little of their energy, but after countless failed potions, he began to drain all of it, killing them._

_When this too didn't work, he began to work his way up to larger and larger animals, becoming more sadistic with each step he took down his path. Finally, when large dogs had failed to work he turned his sights on humans. He agonized over the decision, but in the end his twisted desire for youth overcame it._

_He found that humans harbored far more energy than animals did. He theorized that this was because humans had hopes, desires, and dreams and actively set out to achieve them, thus giving their lives more meaning than animals. He assumed that someone aged mid-twenties to early-thirties best suited his needs, as young children hadn't formed a goal yet, and those older had given up on theirs. Thus began a spree of murders._

_Some time later, Vincent found himself back at the lab with his largest sample of life energy yet, that of five humans. His appearance had become much closer to the man who attacked Watanuki that day. In fact everything but the eyes seemed nearly identical… even the clothes…_

'_It's today! Today is the day he dies!', Watanuki realized_

_Vincent inserted the energy into the potion. The evil surrounding the methods used to obtain said energy turned the concoction from green to black. Before he could drink it though, someone burst into the room._

_It was Domeki!_

'_No… It couldn't be… This happened so long ago. It must be his grandfather, Haruka.', Watanuki concluded._

_Domeki's grandfather was wielding a bow. He had already gathered his Ki in the shape of an arrow and was pointing at the sorcerer._

"_Stop this madness! It's all over.", He stated seriously._

"_Over? Oh no, I'm just getting started!", Vincent shot back._

_He grabbed the flask and was about to gulp the black substance down, but before he could, he found a spirit arrow protruding from his chest. It didn't merely pierce the skin, though. Watanuki saw that it was also burning his flesh away. Before it did, however, Vincent attempted to attack Domeki's grandfather, taking an identical stance to the one Watanuki had seen before he'd almost been shred to bits._

_Vincent's body had completely disintegrated, but his spirit hadn't missed a beat and was still on the verge of a massive attack. Luckily, Haruka was a step ahead of him. He made some hand gestures and said some unintelligible words before he stuck his hand outstretched in front of him._

"_DEMON SEAL!", Haruka shouted._

_A magic circle appeared around Vincent. He tried to escape it, but failed. It pulled him underground, kicking and screaming, and still trying to attack, but to no avail._

_Watanuki saw an image of many years later, somehow he knew it was the same spot, but it had changed dramatically. It was a grove of trees just outside of Domeki's temple! Obviously Haruka had originally built the temple to make sure that Vincent never escaped._

_Vincent was dormant, and he had been for about eighty years, when something drew him out of that state. An unusual power flew right above him, just barely avoiding being embedded in him. It was a shard of the feather that would only moments later bond with Yuko. Even though it didn't hit him, the unusual energy of the feather was enough to draw him out of his slumber. The process was slow, but he eventually became fully conscious._

_The first thing he saw when he woke up was Domeki and Watanuki walking home at night from their first date._

_He followed them and laughed, happy to be able to get revenge on the one who killed him. At least through his relative, anyway._

* * *

A/N- How was that? I was nervous about adding another OC, but he works pretty well. I was especially happy that I got to have characters shouting out the names of their special attacks! I know it's not an action fic, but I like that kind of thing.

Ok, I'm thinking this fic has 2-4 more chapters in it before it's done. Probably just 2, but you never know, I could extend it. Just a heads up.

And now I answer your reviews!

LonelyReflection- The very end of the last chapter just barely managed to change your mind! Phew, close one! I was actually getting a bit bored writing it, to be honest. Character development is great and all, but I need to learn better pacing so readers don't get bored. That or write longer chapters so I can include some action too. Hope this chapter held your interest as well!

- Ha ha, maybe he is feeling a bit smug! Then again, I haven't had him say anything yet, so for now we'll say he hasn't noticed how much faster he's progressing than Domeki! I think this chapter probably answered most, if not all of the questions you had.

James Birdsong- Thank you

George2Bob1- Ha ha, I don't think the ending was sad exactly, but a pretty good builder of tension! Well, I dialed up the pressure on this one, so I hope you still like it.

Buzzbug82- I forgot when I last updated, but I hope it hasn't been too long for you! I don't know if you'd call this chapter thrilling or not, but I definitely added in some action! It's gonna get pretty intense from here on out!


	14. Matched

A/N- Yeah, I definitely meant to write this sooner, but… it's summer. You guys understand, right? Time sort of got away from me. Anyway, I've been watching a show called Fringe online lately. Oh and a TV show pilot based off of my favorite movie, Push, is being made! Fun times. Enough with me, on with the show! …You guys probably won't like this chapter.

Warning/Disclaimer- just the usual stuff.

Pairing- I've decided to change the fic from Domeki/Watanuki to Domeki/Himawari. …Just kidding.

* * *

Chapter 14- Matched

"Watanuki, what's wrong?", Domeki asked.

"Oh, nothing.", Watanuki lied.

'_Argh, my head hurts! That premonition went on forever! Geez, I guess a vision of that length is tough on a newbie like me.', _Watanuki guessed.

Domeki frowned, "Don't insult my intelligence. What's the matter? Tell me the truth."

Watanuki settled for a half truth, "I had a dream about Haruka."

"My grandfather?", Domeki asked, "What did he say to you?"

Watanuki also managed to tell half of the truth this time too, "Nothing."

Which he technically hadn't. Understandably, however, Domeki didn't seem very convinced. After all, it sounded like a lie, especially because he knew that Watanuki and Haruka conversed fairly regularly.

Watanuki caught Domeki's suspicious gaze and defended himself, "He really didn't! It was quite unusual for Haruka."

Seeing that he was telling the truth this time, Domeki backed down. They began moving forward again and they reached the outer area of the temple, though they hadn't passed the walls yet. Watanuki was glancing around, admiring the scenery a bit when he looked at a grove of trees outside the walls of the temple. It was the same ones from his premonition.

He started to get a shiver, but suppressed it in order to not worry Domeki. After all, Vincent had already attacked today, it was unlikely he would be assaulted again. Especially with Domeki nearby, whom Vincent seemed to cautious of.

They left the threshold of the temple and Watanuki felt less safe. To cover his fear he looked at Domeki, who happened to be glancing at him at the same moment. Watanuki blushed and looked away. Their hands brushed a bit and Watanuki reddened even more and mumbled an apology. Domeki sighed audibly. He reached out and grabbed Watanuki's hand, holding it in his own.

"Wha-?", Watanuki started, surprised.

He looked over at Domeki, but Domeki neither looked at him, nor offered an explanation. He just held on to his hand firmly. Looking at their hands, Watanuki smiled to himself and held on to Domeki's hand as tight as Domeki's held on to his.

The scenery slowly began to give way from residences to a more urban area. They were pretty close to the town now. As they approached it, Watanuki was assaulted with a sense of unease. As if his body was trying to tell him that something wasn't right. However, Domeki was exhibiting no unusual behavior, so Watanuki knew it wasn't a spirit. He decided to ignore it. After all, if it wasn't a spirit, then it wasn't Vincent, and if it wasn't Vincent then it could wait till after their date.

"I'm sorry to take you into town again.", Domeki began, "I couldn't think of anything else to do."

Watanuki was surprised that he'd put thought into it, "Oh, don't worry about. There's lots to do here! We just have to find something."

Domeki nodded, agreeing with him. They began to walk at a more leisurely pace, doing some window shopping. Well, Watanuki was anyway. Domeki basically stopped when Watanuki stopped and commented on the same things Watanuki commented on.

Before Watanuki got his empathy power and definitely before they began dating, Watanuki probably would have gotten angry at Domeki for all the work he had to do to draw him into a proper conversation. The guy had yet to be the first to say something since they got into town!

However, with Watanuki more in tune than ever to Domeki's emotions, he got the feeling that Domeki simply didn't want to say anything that Watanuki might find boring or disagreeable, so he simply talked about what Watanuki talked about.

'_Well that's no good. He needs to be more comfortable with telling me things!', _Watanuki decided.

So at the next window that caught his eyes, which happened to be a sweet shop, Watanuki didn't comment on anything and instead asked Domeki a question.

"What do you think looks good?", Watanuki asked, face neutral.

Domeki looked surprised, and Watanuki felt a touch of his nervousness, but Domeki had crushed it almost before it could register.

"I like the plain dark chocolates, myself.", he answered.

"Oh? Why's that?", Watanuki questioned further.

Domeki looked at him. His eyes were unreadable to Watanuki, but his heart wasn't. He was a bit confused at Watanuki's sudden curiosity, as well as a touch worried that things weren't going well, but Domeki carried on as if he didn't have those feelings. His reason, as it turned out, was that dark chocolate was the first sweet he remembered eating, so it was special.

"Is that so?", Watanuki commented, "I'm the opposite of you. I like white chocolate the best. It seems like I know what it tastes like, but every time I eat it, it seems to have a slightly different flavor."

There was a silence as neither boy knew exactly how to continue. For Domeki's part, he didn't like that Watanuki had, seemingly by accident, steered the conversation in such a way that highlighted the fact that the two of them were quite different. Watanuki felt those emotions course through him and he sighed. Judging by his mood, Domeki was taking that as a bad sign.

"Look Domeki,", Watanuki began, "we're obviously very different-"

"Watanuki I-", Domeki interrupted.

But Watanuki cut him off, "Let me finish, Domeki. We're obviously very different, but… that doesn't mean we can't be together, you know? There's no way we'd have exactly the same interests and tastes. If we did it'd be weird. I'm expecting us to not agree on a lot of things so… you don't need to be afraid to tell me about yourself. On the contrary I want to know those things. I don't like seeing you closed off because you're worried I wont like you if we're different."

Domeki was absolutely shocked. He had no idea that Watanuki was so insightful. After a moment, however, he realized that Watanuki probably had some help from his power. Though the fact that he'd cared enough to say anything at all was a change in and of itself. Domeki's face didn't betray any emotions. His face was a carefully cultivated mask and nothing got through. But then, he didn't need to, because they both knew that Watanuki could feel exactly what was going through his heart.

"Thanks.", Domeki simply said.

"It was nothing.", Watanuki said back modestly.

And the two continued on their way.

The downtown area was much more crowded than the way their had been, and thus, Watanuki had become reluctant to display his affection. He was still kind of iffy about it when there wasn't a soul to be seen, so Domeki was less than surprised with Watanuki's sudden physical distance. They walked about for a bit, continuing their earlier activity of window shopping, when Watanuki saw something that caught his eye.

It was an aquarium. Truth be told, Watanuki couldn't quite remember their town ever having an aquarium, but then again he usually had to sprint through crowded areas as fast as his legs would carry him to avoid spirits, so he definitely could have missed it. It was only because of Domeki that he could stroll so leisurely through the town. Speaking of the archer, he didn't seemed the least bit disturbed by the aquarium's existence so Watanuki let it go without voicing his thoughts.

What he did do, however, was motion towards it with a sort of "Please?" look on his face. Domeki just shrugged and changed course towards the building. Watanuki smiled and allowed himself to be led into the relative darkness of the aquarium. As high school students, the price for entering was so cheap that Watanuki didn't even feel bad that Domeki footed the bill again.

They began walking around admiring the various forms of aquatic life. This place was apparently well known for it's penguin exhibit, one of Watanuki's favorite animals. In fact, the mascot for the place was a penguin. And, as one would expect, they had someone dressed up in a penguin suit entertaining children. Whoever was in there was taller than Domeki, so Watanuki figured it was a guy. The crowd of kids the guy was entertaining moved on and he looked around, seeing only the two teens. He headed right over.

"Hello!", He greeted cheerily, "Welcome to the Water Card Aquarium, Watanuki and Domeki!"

'_Water…Card? I get the first part, but the second makes no sense.', _Wondered Watanuki, '_Hey, wait a minute!'_

"How the hell do you know our names!", Watanuki screamed.

"What do you mean? Oh. The suit.", The costumed man realized.

He took off the suit and revealed that he was in fact…

"Akira! What are you doing here!", Watanuki demanded.

Akira seemed confused, "I WORK here. Can't you tell by the penguin suit?"

"But you already have a job at the café!", Watanuki argued.

"Since when is it illegal to have two part time jobs?", Akira countered.

Watanuki ran out of steam, "I… guess it's not… I'm sorry. I was caught off guard by you suddenly appearing again."

Watanuki looked to Domeki for confirmation that it was unusual, but Domeki didn't seem to care one way or the other. Watanuki sighed and let it go.

"Well, it's been great talking to ya, but I gotta get back to work! Bye!", Akira explained as he walked off and cheerily waved goodbye.

Watanuki waved back weakly. He liked Akira, but he always seemed to put him off balance.

"That's twice now. I wonder if he's appearing on purpose?", Watanuki wondered aloud.

Domeki put his hand on the teen's shoulder to calm him down, saying, "Twice is a coincidence. Three is a pattern."

"I guess so, but if he shows up a third time…", Watanuki's voice faded into mumbled threats that no one apart from himself could decipher. Or take seriously.

At any rate, Watanuki also found himself quite taken with the sea turtle that swam in a sort of community tank where many different creatures swam together. Apparently none of them preyed on or were prey for any other sea creature in the tank. He was quite happy to watch the water dwellers (especially the turtle) swim round and round the cylindrical tank. After a good deal of time passed, Watanuki wondered if Domeki was beginning to feel a bit bored, but without turning around he could sense that the stoic teen was content with what they were doing.

It wasn't until Watanuki spied a reflection in the glass that gave him a view of the area behind him that he figured out why. It was true that Domeki was quite content, but not with watching the fish, but with watching him! Watanuki didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted. He compromised and became indifferent. If Domeki wanted to watch him watch fish, by all means he could go ahead. After all, it's not like Watanuki felt any waves of lust coming off him, so he figured it was ok. Plus, he wasn't much better for staring at a bunch of fish swimming in circles for the better part of an hour.

Finally turning around, Watanuki asked Domeki a question, "Ready to move on?"

He said yes and they were off to the touch tank. Watanuki picked up a starfish and a few clams and Domeki did the same. However, a more memorable part of the experience was when they were on their way to another exhibit and they got a bit turned around and found themselves in a closed off area. Watanuki immediately started to turn back, but Domeki gripped his sleeve. Watanuki turned around to ask the oaf what his problem was, but he was caught by a kiss from Domeki.

Watanuki leaned into it a bit then recoiled, remembering where they were.

"Wha-What did you do that for, idiot!", Watanuki demanded.

"Because I wanted to. And I figured you wouldn't like it if I did it in front of people.", Domeki stated matter-of-factly.

THAT certainly got to Watanuki. He turned red and brought his right hand up to his lips.

"I-Idiot… Next time, just ask.", Watanuki said.

Domeki nodded and agreed, "Sure."

They looked at each other for a moment before Domeki began to walk off and Watanuki followed.

An hour or so later, Watanuki was tired but happy. He'd had a great time, despite himself. The teen felt as if he could spend forever in the place with Domeki. Unfortunately, they'd run out of things to see. They'd even paid another, though shorter, visit to the turtle.

"Well, I think we've seen everything, Domeki. Wanna head out?", Watanuki asked.

Domeki nodded his agreement and the duo headed out the doors. Though, not before waving goodbye to Akira. Speaking of, the man didn't seem to be feeling well. He was out of the penguin suit and taking a breather. He caught sight of Watanuki and Domeki and their waves goodbye, and began to respond when all traces of happiness left his face. It was suddenly replaced by a worried frown. Akira rarely worried. And he NEVER frowned. Watanuki could feel his strong emotions from all the way across the room. But Akira shook himself and resumed his cheery attitude, giving the two a ridiculously flamboyant wave. Which Watanuki laughed at.

"What was that about?", Watanuki wondered aloud.

"What was what about?", Domeki questioned.

Watanuki gave him a surprised look, "Didn't you notice? He looked worried and concerned for a moment there! I hope everything's all right with him…"

"I'm sure it is. He can always come to us if he has a problem.", Domeki reasoned, "Plus, you say it was just for a moment. Even that guy is bound to have his low points."

"I guess so…", Watanuki trailed off, not entirely convinced.

Domeki began to elaborate on his point, but before he could, a low rumble interrupted him. It was Watanuki's stomach. It was actually a bit of a surprise that neither teen had realized how hungry they were before now. After all, they'd completely forgotten about lunch while touring the aquarium. It was well into the afternoon now.

"Let's get a late lunch.", Domeki suggested, Watanuki immediately agreeing, "I have to stop by the bank, though. I don't think I have enough money for both of us."

Those last two statements are where Watanuki had a problem.

"Why are you always paying for stuff! I can pay my own way!", insisted Watanuki.

Domeki raised a brow, "How? With your zero dollars an hour paycheck at the shop?"

"Hey! I get paid! Just not with money…", Watanuki trailed off before gaining steam again, "That's neither here nor there, anyway! You don't have a part time job either so I can't imagine you make a lot of money."

"Running a temple has it's benefits.", Domeki explained.

"That doesn't clarify anything at all!", Watanuki exploded.

Domeki rolled his eyes, "You wait here. I'll go across the street and get money, then we'll go eat."

He was pointing to the blandly named K Bank. The shorter male, however, didn't like this arrangement at all. He wanted to be independent and to take care of himself. He didn't need Domeki swooping in to help all the time! While he was thinking this, Domeki had taken his silence as compliance, and had begun crossing the street. It was probably impossible to stop him now. Watanuki may have lost the battle, but that didn't mean he had to lose the war.

"Fine!", He shouted to the boy already quite a ways away, "But I'm paying for the next thing we do!"

Domeki slowed down and stopped. He stood still for a moment before continuing on his way without turning around. It wasn't exactly the outcome Watanuki had been shooting for, but he supposed it was good enough that Domeki heard his opinion voiced. In fact, a good percentage of the nearby population had stopped their activities to gawk at him.

This embarrassed Watanuki greatly. He knew how they probably took it, and even if they were technically correct, that didn't mean he wanted a bunch of strangers knowing about his relationship status. He stubbornly looked at the sky until most everyone had turned back to their shopping.

PING!

A text from Domeki.

It read: _Sorry, but there's quite a line in here. It'll take longer than expected. Do you mind waiting?_

Watanuki shook his head and immediately replied that of course he didn't mind waiting and that there was no need to rush.

He had just put his phone away when the wind picked up a bit. He figured it was just a bit of a breeze and didn't think much of it. However, the wind didn't die down. In fact, it's intensity only increased. The power of the gusts became so great that the sensible people of the shopping arcade were taking cover in buildings. Watanuki, on the other hand, was rooted to the spot by a familiar sense of paralyzing dread.

The wind reached a fever pitch as did Watanuki's fear. He looked around from left to right, up to down trying to find the source of the fierce gusts of air. It turned out he didn't need look very hard, because a sinister laugh came from directly in front of him.

Victor materialized out of thin air. One second there was nothing and the next he was there, looking the same when the had had their earlier encounter.

"Victor!", Watanuki spat out.

"Oh my! I'm not very popular, am I? Surprised to see me?", Victor teased, eyes glinting.

Watanuki growled his answer, "I'm surprised that you're just as ugly as I remember!"

Victor didn't like that one bit. He walked forward and slapped Watanuki to the ground.

'_Owwwwwww! For a spirit he sure is solid!', _Watanuki thought.

"Don't talk back.", Victor advised through thinly veiled hatred, "I may just lose my temper and kill you more painfully than I already intend to."

Watanuki smirked, even though he didn't feel as confident on the inside, "Oh? Have you got more easily dodge able blades again? That didn't seem to work last time."

Now Victor was smirking, "Well yes and no. As you can see I've gained control of the wind in this area. I can make it a soft breeze or… as sharp as a knife. It's not as powerful as my Grisly Blades, but it's MUCH faster and hard to see. Making dodges… difficult. You won't survive this time!"

Victor flew up into the air and began whipping the air into daggers. Watanuki could sort of see the difference between them and normal air, but Victor was right, they'd be tough to dodge, especially at speeds as fast as the winds around him. He thought about running away before Victor had a chance to attack with them, but when he looked for an escape route, he found that they were all blocked by forming blades of air.

Watanuki gave up. He decided that if his life would be given up in exchange for Domeki's, then it was a fair trade. Of course in his premonition, he was injured and Domeki was dead, but he got the feeling that it hadn't happened like this.

'_He could die anyway, though.', _a part of Watanuki reminded him.

'_I know.', _Watanuki agreed, _'But I believe that that won't be the case. That guy's definitely the sort of person who only needs saving once! I'll put faith in the future.'_

"Are you ready boy! After I kill you, I'm definitely going to kill that friend of yours, so you won't die alone!", Victor cried, "Here I GO! WIND DANCE!"

Watanuki closed his eyes and waited for the daggers to strike him. When they didn't for awhile, he opened his eyes and found that he didn't feel the wind. In fact, he didn't seem to even be in the same place that he was a moment ago. Looking around he found that he was inside the bank! He desperately turned outside and saw Domeki outside. He seemed fine, but then his outfit tore in several places and crimson bloomed all over his body.

Watanuki cried out, and pushed the door of the bank open, running toward him.

'_That idiot! He traded places with me using his power!', _Watanuki realized.

Watanuki reached him, and even with his poor medical knowledge he knew Domeki was in bad shape. However, he was still clinging to consciousness.

"Hm. That's not exactly what I expected…", Victor stated tentatively before grinning, "Oh well! All I have to do is finish you off! A simple barrage of fireballs should do the trick! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Watanuki heard Victor in the back of his head, but he was also listening to Domeki's weak words.

"I'm… I'm sorry.", He apologized, "I would… come sooner but… the wind was… pushing the doors shut… I couldn't…"

He trailed off into a coughing fit through which Watanuki tried to comfort him, saying it was alright, even though he knew it wasn't. In truth, the two of them were about to die. Despite all he'd seen and done, he couldn't prevent the fate that he'd most wanted to avoid.

"You… idiot,", Watanuki said, tears beginning to form, "I didn't want this… I wanted you to be…"

He was interrupted by Victor.

"Well it's been fun!", He exclaimed, "But now it's time for you kiddies to fry!"

He was holding his hands outstretched as if he was about to give someone a big hug, though his intent wasn't as innocent as that. On the tip of each of his fingers was a glowing orange orb, that Watanuki assumed was a fireball. It wasn't as big as he imagined, but he didn't delude himself into thinking they were less dangerous. Victor suddenly threw his hands back and then flung them forward, the orange balls hurtling towards their target.

Watanuki panicked. If Domeki sustained any more damage, he'd die for sure. And at the very least Watanuki would end up badly burned. He had to do something! He was the only one who could. He reached out his arm into the air. Seemingly grasping at something that wasn't there. In his mind, all of his feeling was concentrated on hoping that something would take care of the danger.

No sooner had he thought this than a transparent dome appeared around Domeki and himself. Domeki was out of it, but even his eyes widened a bit. The fireballs hit the dome, and the reflected back on their user. They hit Victor in the face, stomach, and legs. He cried out and writhed around a bit. Even though he was down, Watanuki could tell that he wasn't out. It was only a matter of time before he recovered and tried again. Possibly this time with less favorable results for the duo on the ground.

"H-How did you…?", Domeki began to ask.

"I don't know! It just happened!", Watanuki screamed while flailing about.

He stopped this, however, and took a glance at Victor. It was now or never! This was the only time he'd been vulnerable since they'd met. Watanuki looked down at Domeki, who was still awake, but fading fast.

"Ok Domeki, gather your energy in an arrow!", Watanuki commanded.

Domeki looked at him dumbly, "I can't, I'm too weak. Even if I could, I don't think it'd be strong enough to kill him."

"Well you have to try! It's our only hope!", Watanuki argued as he pulled his boyfriend to his feet.

Domeki was leaning heavily on Watanuki, but he managed to draw his spirit bow and the arrow ready to be released was feeding off of his power of Lifeguard, which was active because he wanted to protect Watanuki. It was the strongest arrow that Domeki had ever drawn. However, it would probably still be too weak to defeat Victor.

"Watanuki… I still don't see how-,", Domeki began again.

"Don't worry.", Watanuki reassured him, "I've got a feeling I know how to make it stronger."

Watanuki put his own hands where Domeki's were, making it seem as if they were both drawing the same arrow in the same bow. The size of the arrow doubled it's normal size, and judging by the swirling energies around it, it's power had more than tripled. Vincent, however, wasn't writhing quite as ferociously as he had been. In fact, he wasn't thrashing at all, rather, he had his right hand pinching his nose, as if he had a bad headache. The man didn't look seriously injured or even burned, Watanuki knew that this was probably their only chance.

Domeki started to try to speak again, "Watanuki… if this doesn't work-"

Watanuki cut him off again, "It WILL work. When we work together, we can't be beat!"

Watanuki sounded pretty optimistic, but it was only surface level for Domeki's sake. He was terrified that they would die here together. On the other hand, it wouldn't solve anything to give into his fears and have a breakdown. That would definitely make the situation worse.

"Ok, on the count of three?", Watanuki suggested.

Domeki nodded in agreement.

"One…", Watanuki began.

"Two…", Domeki said.

"THREE!"

The last one they shouted together, releasing the arrow at the same time. Victor had just removed his hand from his face, and was looking for the boys so he could finish them off. Before he could, though, the arrow struck him square in the chest. It's momentum carried him backwards a bit. He grabbed and clawed at the arrow, trying to get it out, before he succeeded.

He was in a lot of pain, but it didn't seem to have killed him, unfortunately.

"HA HA HAAA! You two thought you could kill me with THIS!", Victor taunted, "I've had bug bites that stung more!"

He was laughing and crushing their hopes, but the two boys below him didn't react. In fact, they were looking at him, but not in the eyes. Their respective gazes were directed to his chest, where the arrow had struck. There was a hole there, not surprising since he had been struck with a huge arrow. Although there was something strange about it. He couldn't tell at first glance, but after a moment it dawned on him. It was growing. And fast. It was eating away at his body at a quicker and quicker rate.

"No. NO!", Victor shouted, even as he dissolved.

Victor started to flail about, trying to stop his disintegration, but didn't have any luck. Watanuki and Domeki merely watched as Victor struggled, awed looks on their faces.

"Why? Why did it end like this?", Victor asked no one, "I just wanted us to live forever… so we wouldn't have to say goodbye…"

And with those cryptic last words Victor faded into nothing. As soon as he did, Domeki lost the strength to stand. He collapsed to the ground, and Watanuki followed, hovering over him. The wounds looked bad and they were still bleeding. It was a miracle that Domeki had managed to stand at all, let alone for so long.

"Haa… haa…", Domeki panted, "I'm not long for this world…"

"Don't say that!", Watanuki cried, "You'll be fine! I'll get you to a hospital and you'll be fine!"

"Watanuki.", Domeki said, eyes shining.

Watanuki grabbed his hand and responded, "Yes?"

"I know we haven't been going out that long, but I… think I…", Domeki started to say, before he grimaced and began coughing.

"I know. I know.", Watanuki assured the boy, tears falling from his face, "You don't have to say it."

Domeki smiled and nodded. His eyelids drooped and he seemed to be quite out of it. A siren was heard in the distance. It seemed that someone had seen Domeki collapse and called for help,

"I'm pretty tired. I think I'm gonna sleep.", Domeki tiredly stated.

"Ok. Why don't you take a nap, and I'll be there when you wake up.", Watanuki said, knowing he was lying.

Domeki didn't respond. He closed his eyes, and was completely unresponsive to anything Watanuki said or did.

Watanuki started crying even more ferociously than before. Even if he had wanted to say something else, he wouldn't have been able to.

All he could do was cry.

* * *

A/N- So yeah… one chapter left. Ah ha ha, please don't hate me! The next chapter is like an epilogue but not really. I'm sure you don't quite know what I mean, but you will when I get the next chapter up.

- Yeah, I actually considered that, but I feel that it would have unnecessarily lengthened the story, by bringing in Haruka, so he could explain to Watanuki what was going on. For that Watanuki would have had to be asleep, and it definitely would have taken longer than Victor just being aware of this fact from the beginning. As always, thank you for reviewing!

James Birdsong- Thanks again. This chapter then one left! Thanks for sticking around for so long!

Eilonwyn- Thanks! I enjoyed writing them, they were probably my favorites. Yep, I thought that feeling what others were feeling was just a good fit for Watanuki, so I'm glad you agree! Did the climax surprise you? Honestly I've had this in the works for awhile, but I wasn't sure how effective it would be when I actually wrote it.


	15. Of Love For You

A/N- Yeah yeah, I know. It's been awhile, which is nothing new for me, but I also left you guys with a cliffhanger. I've been sick, so don't get too mad, ok? Anyway, I left you with a lot of questions last time. Most importantly the fate of Domeki. Read here for the final chapter of Out. Hope you enjoy.

Now instituting page breaks in the form of "xxx"! ha ha, I don't particularly like them, but some time will pass in this chapter and I just want to be clear about when that happens…

Warning/Pairing/Disclaimer- Just the usual, but for the last time.

* * *

Chapter 15- Of Love For You

Life without Domeki was hard. Really hard.

To Watanuki, it seemed as if the entire world had gone gray. The archer no longer interjected with a sarcastic comment or helped him through difficult times. And he needed the archer most, he couldn't be reached.

For Watanuki, the worst part had been the realization. He had been going about the cleaning in the shop with none of his usual vigor, and hadn't been thinking about anything in particular. And then it had hit him. The weight of all that had happened came crashing down on him. He broke down crying, completely overwhelmed by sadness. And guilt. There was so much guilt.

He'd hidden it pretty well from everyone, but he was tearing himself up inside. He'd seen the future, and it was true, he had changed it some. After all, Watanuki hadn't been injured at all, but in the end that wasn't enough. Watanuki had done his best and it just hadn't been enough.

Yuko and Himawari were sad too, of course. But not on the same level. And Akira, though he had indeed been sad, he'd only really met Domeki about a week ago. He got over it pretty quickly. They each tried their best to comfort him, but there wasn't much they could do. Any extended time Himawari spent with Watanuki when Domeki wasn't around was hazardous to his health. Akira attempted to fill the void that Domeki had left, trying to be with Watanuki whenever he could, so that he wouldn't be alone. Yuko merely went about their ordinary life, trying to get Watanuki back into the routine he'd been in when Domeki had been around.

Watanuki appreciated their efforts, he did. But it hurt every time Himawari would suddenly cut their chat short for fear of hurting him. Akira, try as he might, simple wasn't the same as Domeki. And "getting back into the routine" as Yuko called it, just reminded him of Domeki even more.

'_If I had just done something different! Anything! Told him? Made a wish? What! What would have saved him!', _Watanuki told himself everyday.

It was weeks until Watanuki could think of the final moments without crying. It happened when he was walking home one evening. Some parts of the battle with Victor didn't quite add up. It took Watanuki a long time to notice them, but when he did he knew that the answers were important. He decided to ask Yuko in the morning.

When he walked into the store that morning, Yuko wasn't at the door to greet him like she had been ever since Domeki… had become unavailable. Watanuki shimmied out of his shoes and went looking for Yuko, taking note of the silence in the house. He found Yuko where he had originally met her, laying on the couch. She looked pretty serious.

"I have some questions.", Watanuki said.

"I imagine you do.", Yuko responded.

Not wasting any time Watanuki got right down to it, intending to start from the least important and work his way up, "What did Victor mean when he disappeared? He said some stuff about living forever with someone and not saying goodbye."

"Although, I do know the answer to that question, it's not my place to say.", Yuko answered, "Perhaps, someone you haven't seen in awhile will tell you someday."

"That's pretty vague. Even for you.", Watanuki shot back with a wry, almost smile.

Yuko herself did smile a bit, "Ha ha, is that right? Anyway, I expect that's not all you wanted to know, is it?"

Watanuki shook his head, "I was wondering… in the heat of the moment it seemed pretty natural, but now that I've had some time to think, or rather now that I've been ABLE to think there was something off about that battle."

Yuko nodded her head, giving Watanuki the indication that he should continue.

"I reflected the fireballs back at Victor, giving me and… him a chance to ready our attack. And then, when it looked like that still wouldn't be enough, I was able to increase it's power. How did I do these things?"

"That's easy, Watanuki. If you do a little bit of reasoning first.", Yuko explained.

"How so?", Watanuki questioned.

"What are your powers Watanuki?", Yuko prodded gently.

"Well, I can see spirits, of course. I have Premonitions from time to time, and I can feel the emotions of others, which you told me is more formally known as Empathy.", Watanuki listed, "But I don't see how…"

"And what was Domeki's power?", Yuko interrupted.

"Yuko… I-", Watanuki began before letting whatever he was going to say go and answering her question, "It came from his desire to protect. Specifically me."

Yuko frowned a bit, "That's true. But more generally, where do they come from?"

Watanuki thought for a moment. Then his mind suddenly made the connection.

"From his… feelings?", Watanuki guessed hesitantly, afraid to be wrong.

"Exactly!", Yuko exclaimed, "Now do you see what happened, Watanuki?"

Now it was Watanuki's turn to frown as he wracked his brain for a relationship between all the questions Yuko had asked. He drew a blank.

"I'm sorry Yuko, I don't know.", Watanuki admitted.

"That's fine, I'll tell you anyway.", Yuko said graciously.

She took a deep breath and started again, "Domeki's power comes from his emotions. One of your powers, Watanuki, is to feel the emotions of others. Since his power comes from his emotions, and you felt the emotions that gave birth to that power, you were able to temporarily copy it, saving your life."

Watanuki's mouth was wide open in awe. He had no idea that the Empathy power could be used like that! If he was understanding her correctly, he could copy anyone's powers, so long as he was around them and their powers came from their emotions. Watanuki shook himself and steeled himself to ask his last question.

"Why couldn't I change it?", Watanuki whispered, referring to the future he foresaw.

Yuko immediately sobered up, "But you did change it. You standing here is proof of that."

"Well, not enough! Why couldn't I effect the outcome like I wanted to!", Watanuki yelled at the top of his lungs.

Yuko lowered her eyes and spoke softly, "Sometimes premonitions aren't visions of a future you can prevent. Sometimes they're there to prepare you for what is to come, so that you can accept it more easily."

"That's… That's not good enough! It's not fair! Why wasn't I able to save Domeki like all the times he saved me!", Watanuki cried, "What's the point in having these powers at all, if I can't do anything with them?"

Yuko was silent, there was nothing she could say that would make him feel better, and there were plenty of things she could say that would make him feel worse, so she opted to say nothing.

Watanuki looked at the clock and then around the room, making a decision.

"I'm going to visit him." Watanuki declared, "I won't let him be forgotten. The least I can do is bring him some flowers, and maybe say hello."

Watanuki laughed at the last bit, but with no humor in his voice.

"Watanuki…", Yuko trailed off.

"Don't worry, Yuko.", Watanuki assured the woman, "I won't do anything stupid."

He walked briskly forward in the warm sunlight. He kept his eyes fixed forward, not letting them or his mind wander. He merely focused on getting from point A to point B. He continued this way for some distance, until a sweet scent hit his nose. He slowed to a stop and looked around for the source of the aroma. It turned out to be a flower shop, that had apparently just opened, for Watanuki didn't recognize it.

He entered the store on auto-pilot, having no idea why he was even bothering. After all, more likely than not, even if he brought flowers to Domeki, he wouldn't see them. However, the desperate hope within Watanuki that Domeki would, in fact, see them kept him rooted to the spot.

He absently walked through the store, stopping here and there to look at the flowers. He saw red roses, but he immediately dismissed them. Watanuki was NOT a romantic. At least, he fervently denied he was. Right next to them, however, were perfectly good yellow roses. As a plus they were on sale. Watanuki sighed and quickly went through the process of paying for them and having them wrapped.

On his way again, Watanuki reached the cemetery that was becoming a frighteningly familiar landmark to him. As he passed all the gravesites, he became increasingly distraught. When he finally reached his destination he broke down.

"I-I-I'm sorry! Please… don't stay this way… be how you've always been… I can't stand it if you won't…", Watanuki cried into his hands.

xxx

A few months passed since that day, and some things changed, while others did not. He had regular contact with Himawari, though not as much as before. She seemed to have gotten over the incident fairly well. At least, it seemed she wasn't crying anymore. In a moment of irrationality, Watanuki was actually angry at her for moving on, but he soon realized he was being ridiculous.

Akira and him had contact regularly, but they rarely saw each other in person. Akira had suggested they hang out several times, but every time Watanuki politely declined. He just didn't feel like going out and having fun.

Yuko became her everyday self, for which Watanuki was grateful. A Yuko that was stoic and intense all the time was seriously stressful. Watanuki expected her to just suddenly start telling him something cryptic at any given moment, though she rarely did. The mood in the store had been positively tense until she'd eased up a bit. Watanuki supposed that she had been grieving too.

And Domeki was still gone. That hadn't changed. Not even a little. Watanuki hadn't even had a dream about Haruka, which he thought might be the next best thing. Another thing that hadn't changed was Watanuki's mood. Oh, he'd begun to cover it under a shell of false cheeriness or anger or whatever, but it was fake. Himawari was probably fooled, Akira probably wasn't, and Yuko… well, let's just say that she had told him to quit moping when he'd been smiling his widest for her.

One day, Yuko broke the unspoken rule and asked Watanuki a what if question.

"Watanuki?", she called, drawing his attention, "What if I told you that there was a way to save Domeki?"

Watanuki blinked in shock, but answered, "I'd ask you what I would have to do, and then I'd do it. And then get mad at you for not telling me right away."

"There's a way to save him.", Yuko stated, creating a silence.

Watanuki looked down, "That's not possible. The doctors have done everything they can, but he still won't wake up."

"There's a way to save him.", Yuko said again, with no emotion.

"He's in a coma, Yuko!", Watanuki shouted, "Machines are the only thing keeping him alive right now! The doctors said to give up all hope of him waking up and accept that he's gone!"

"There's a way to save him.", she said yet again.

"STOP! Stop saying that!", Watanuki demanded, "I've just started healing! I can't go through this again!"

"But you're the only one who can save him…", Yuko spoke softly.

Watanuki sniffed, trying to keep the tears from falling, "R-really?"

Yuko nodded.

"How?", Watanuki asked simply.

"You once used the power of Lifeguard. If you could use it again, it's possible you could heal Domeki.", Yuko explained.

"Really! That's all there is too it?", Watanuki cried happily, "Why didn't you say this before!"

"It's… risky, to say the least.", Yuko admitted, "For the power to work, Domeki's life has to be in danger, and right now the machines that are keeping him alive are also preventing his life from being threatened."

"Oh…", Watanuki trailed off.

"In order for this to work, you'll have to unplug them. He could really die this time.", Yuko revealed, "Not only that, but Watanuki, you are untrained in the Lifeguard power, there's no telling whether you'll be able to get it to work or not, and even then it may not work the way you want it to."

"I see.", Watanuki stated.

"I wanted you to give you some time to get your emotions, especially your guilt, under control. If your Empathy power is off by even a little because of your own desire to not get close to someone again, this won't work.", Yuko sighed, "That and Domeki doesn't have as much time as you might think. While it's true that running a temple does have it's perks, it doesn't bring in enough money to support a hefty and constant hospital bill like his. He's almost out of money. With no money, and no parents around to protest, the hospital will most likely be forced to let him die."

"What! No!", Watanuki protested, "I'll do it! I'll save him, no matter what!"

"Hmm, you have a lot of determination.", Yuko observed, "That's good. You'll need it to see this through."

"When can I do it?", Watanuki asked.

Yuko smiled a bit at the question, "Whenever you feel you're ready."

"Then I'm going now!", Watanuki declared, "I'll be back later! With Domeki!"

With that, Watanuki was out the door in no time flat.

"My my,", Yuko remarked, "with that attitude, he just may be able to do it. I'll wait for him to return. For them both."

Watanuki ran down the street, not bothering to watch for cars. Luckily he didn't get hit. He ran past the flower shop that he'd been giving a lot of business to lately. Past the graveyard that he'd only just realized was way too close to a hospital for comfort. He ran into the doors and past the reception desk, not noticing the bright grin from the tall boy and soft smile from the black haired girl sitting in chairs in the waiting area.

He burst into Domeki's room, and found him just as he left him. Domeki hadn't changed a bit. Well, his hair had grown a little longer, but Watanuki kind of liked it so at his request it hadn't been cut yet. He was breathing quietly, and to just hear it, one would think he was sleeping. But Watanuki also saw the various machinery that Domeki was hooked up too, including the one that was monitoring his vital signs.

Watanuki decided to leave that one plugged in so that he'd be vaguely aware of what sort of state Domeki was in while he did what he had to do. He took a quick look around to figure out what would be the fastest way to unplug the machines that were keeping Domeki alive. Watanuki gulped at that thought.

'_Can I really do this?', _Watanuki wondered.

He took one more look at Domeki and made his decision.

'_Of course I can. If I don't he'll die anyway, right?', _Watanuki reasoned.

Watanuki found a power strip that had all of the machines plugged into it. He grabbed all of the cords, except the life monitor, and took a steadying breath. Then he ripped them all out of their sockets.

Domeki's breathing immediately worsened and became labored. From the beeping of the machine, it sounded like his heart was starting to go into a panic. Watanuki froze for a moment then immediately sprung into action.

Placing his hands on Domeki's chest, right above his lungs and heart, Watanuki began to attempt to remember what he was feeling when he tapped Domeki's power of Lifeguard. He was definitely regretting leaving the life monitor plugged in, as the insistent and constantly increasing tempo of the beeps started to freak him out.

As the beeps reached a terrifying crescendo, Domeki started shuddering and Watanuki started to fall apart.

"No! I have to protect you like you protected me! Please don't die!",Watanuki pleaded, beginning to cry.

Through his tears, Watanuki became aware of a warmth emanating from his hands. He looked down and saw that they were glowing a golden light. Domeki's breathing seemed to calm down and his heartbeat slowly resumed it's normal speed.

Watanuki sat still in shock as Domeki groaned and then opened his eyes. It still didn't quite click when Domeki turned to look at him, seemingly dazed.

"Hey Watanuki. What's wrong? Why are you crying?", he asked.

Watanuki was unable to hold back. He grabbed Domeki's shirt and cried into his chest. Sobbing and gasping, having no control of himself. Domeki said nothing, he merely patted Watanuki's head as his torrent of tears dried up into a trickle.

"Domeki.", Watanuki breathed.

Domeki looked into his eyes, curious.

"I- I do too. I feel the same.", Watanuki confessed.

Domeki didn't need to be an Empath to feel the emotions engraved into those words. He smirked and grabbed the back of Watanuki's head, bringing him down for a kiss.

A kiss that turned out to be not even close to their last.

* * *

A/N- There it's finally over! Did I fool you in the beginning? I honestly wasn't sure if I could keep Domeki's fate ambiguous, while implying his death, while successfully deceiving you guys. Oh hey, also I hope you realized that in the last two chapters both of the boys confessed their love! I wanted to get the point across without actually saying the words. Not sure if it worked, though.

IMPORTANT- Thank you to animegirl456, ArleneLee, Buzzbug82, Clarrolx, deleerium, dontchafeel likedancing, Eilonwyn, firestone99, lyrastone, Ritsuko-Kubel-Kettenkrad, sasukexchan, Shadow's Tears, Shikari The welsh ninja, sleeping itasaku fangirl, , Twelf Bell, wolfshadowlurker, 3dumplings3, stagehand-no-bento, Atanih Manaka, C. Isabel, .Icecream, EchizenRyomaLover, George2Bob1, Holly Alice, Jayuna, Kalika, katiesquilts, LonelyReflection, Maki-sama, Mayo2198, Mizumi-cham, mrawgirl09, mssekishi, songwriting, Nymphfairy10260, shylust, Silver Winged Firefly, sparkling red, WitchWoman, Wolf-girl-Artemis, Yami Ryo, and Yusuel for adding me to their favs, alerts, or both!

Now for the final public review answering time! (I will answer your review to the last chapter in a PM unless you specify otherwise.)

George2Bob1- Yeah he got hurt, but it all worked out in the end. =)

James Birdsong- Here it is! The finale. Hope it was even better than you expected. Thanks for reviewing all this time.

Eilonwyn- Ha ha, I couldn't kill him off, but I thought about it. I personally like happy endings better so that's the one I went with.


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